Dangerous Games
by dreamsofyesterday1
Summary: As the crisis begins to escalate in Lazytown, Lily gains a new ally from an old foe. When everything seems to be close to destruction something dramatic happens that will change everything but will it be enough to bring Robyn home
1. Chapter 1

Dangerous Games

Part twenty-two of the Robyn series.

Black and white mixed in with splashes of red. They seemed to fuse together, blending, surging, bubbling, before separating again. She closed her eyes but she could still see them, the memory of their image burned into her mind. When she opened her eyes again they were still there, in time they would fade but it would take much longer for the images inside her mind to disappear and even when they did she knew that there would still be scars left behind. Oh how she wanted to scrub them from her memory, to remove them herself but there was no way of doing that. They would always remain there just like the colours on the page, just like the letters printed onto it and the blood that had soaked in.

She didn't want to feel like this but it was his blood, his precious blood marring the clean white surface and the hands she held it with. With the chaos all around him he looked so alive, so predatory as he seemingly floated through the crowds. The fire that seemed to line the picture didn't touch him; he passed through it as if it were mere air. He was so much like a god but that hadn't made him beyond punishment, even in death. He had failed and failure was never an option.

"You miss him don't you?"

The question and the voice that asked it made her shudder. Slamming the paper down on the table in front of her she refused to turn around, choosing instead to address her intruder without looking at them.

"You make my skin crawl, Robyn." Lily hissed forcing her eyes from the newspaper, "And what a ludicrous suggestion. I don't miss him. Why would I miss him? I have you and Morgan. It's true that Morgan has his advantages but he could never be him. You, on the other hand, I wish would just die and disappear."

Robyn laughed and moved closer to her mother, "That's rich coming from the woman who wanted me here in the first place but I know you don't mean it. You're just annoyed because I've told you the one thing that you didn't want to hear even though you knew it yourself. You _do_ miss Cain. You miss him as much as Doctor Trent."

Lily hunched her shoulders at the mention of that name. Her body grew rigid at her daughter's indomitable audacity. It seemed that her previous lesson in discipline had been ignored and it seemed the right time for another one. Standing up slowly from her chair, hands on the table supporting her, she calmed herself down. Even though it was hard to make herself believe it she didn't want to kill Robyn, not yet.

Turning to face her daughter she raised a threatening finger, "Never say that name in this house again."

"Why not?" Robyn threw back folding her arms and standing her ground, "Because it's true? Because you loved him?"

This time Robyn had gone too far and Lily screamed before hurling herself at her and striking her with all the strength she could muster. Much to Lily's surprise, Robyn only stumbled from the blow and when she had recovered was staring her in the face with a look that dared her to do more.

"Oh god I've created a monster," Lily said mainly to herself with disdain as she turned away and walked back towards the table.

"That's what you want isn't it? Me to be just like you? Don't tell me you've changed your mind."

Lily whirled back round, "Of course I haven't. And what do you want, Robyn? What little bee has buzzed into your bonnet to make you come and annoy me? I'd have thought that in a house this size you would be able to find something to amuse yourself with."

"It's his house isn't it?"

"Yes, and his basement. I'd guessed you'd seen what happened down there, I was reborn there."

Robyn's face paled with disgust, "I never knew how you came to look so much different from when I saw you before but now I know. All of those people were slaughtered for you. He killed them all and used them to make you."

"They were casualties of war," Lily hissed, justifying the slaughter of so many people, "I had to do something. After that idiot managed to attack a Watcher I knew they were getting too close, it was the only way to throw them off the scent."

"Well it worked but I have bad news for you. It seems they've stopped trying to kill us both. They'd rather we take out each other and if either of us is left they'll get involved again."

Lily frowned a moment, "How do you know this?"

"One of them told me."

"And you believed them?" Lily's frown eased into lines of laughter as a peal burst forth from her lips. Once the humour she felt passed she slipped back into frustration. "Stupid girl! Never trust a Watcher, you never know what might happen. They always keep their threats but their promises on the other hand are worth nothing. Do you have any idea of the Watcher you spoke to?"

Robyn nodded, "We've met before, several times. He's the same one that Trent attacked that night and the same one that killed him."

This little piece of information hit Lily like a train. She'd had no idea that he had been killed, she had just thought that he'd died from his injuries. Now she knew how close she had come to perhaps being caught herself she knew that the Watchers had located her but their inaction confused her. There seemed to be a point to what Robyn had said but she knew that their little agreement wouldn't last long. Eventually the Judges would get bored and they would strike and this time without mercy.

Robyn considered her mother's thoughtfulness for a moment before speaking; "You have a plan, don't you? Having me and Morgan around is merely an excuse for revenge and you want to use us to exact it for you."

Lily shook her head; "It's much more than that, Robyn. You'll see that one day."

"And what if I don't want to do what you want me to do?"

"Oh you will. I know you will. There is so much more to you than I thought and I saw that when you punched Sportacus to the ground. I also saw that Doctor running out of your house not a day later. Like I said the night you came here, you're as much like me as Cain or Morgan, you just don't know it yet. With a little time you'll soon see that this is where you're meant to be. I think you're already starting to see it, a few months ago you never would have thought of coming anywhere near me let alone challenging me. And with your powers your true potential is starting to come through."

"My potential?" Robyn's voice wavered with uncertainty.

"Your abilities run much deeper than you think, there is so much more you can do. That night in the Town Hall proved it. What happened to the windows and the lights was no accident. It was you. Your power is slowly coming out, expanding, you only need to know how to use it and improve on what you already have. When you know how to use it properly you will be unstoppable. I know of something that you can do already, you say you don't me as well as you thought? Take my hand and you'll know much more."

Burning with reluctance, Robyn did as she was told. She knew what she was being asked to do, the same thing she had done when she had drawn from the items she had touched in Doctor Palley's office.

As soon as her hand took hold of her mother's images assaulted her, coming in waves, each more intense than the last. Her whole body shook as they came at her faster and faster, filling her mind with her mother's dreadful past. She could feel the ecstasy of every kill and the screams that rang from them. As the images continued to grow in intensity they began to become too much and she could stand it no longer but she couldn't remove her hand from Lily's. Her mother was gripping it tightly, her nails digging into her flesh.

There was no escape.


	2. Chapter 2

Larry skulked around the back of the abandoned school. He hadn't counted on there being so many people around the town. He cursed himself that he had chosen to come here to get the food his employer had so kindly requested him to gather instead of his usual place near the old Crazytown docks. No one asked questions there, even though the owners didn't know him they still gave him what he asked but here he was a stranger and he couldn't hope for them same promise of anonymity. He knew that from the moment he revealed himself someone would want to know who he was and why he had come. He had to think of a cover story that people would believe but so far all of his previous attempts to convince himself had failed which even to someone with limited intelligence, such as he suffered with, told him that it wouldn't work.

He had thought of claiming that he was a foreign tourist that had gotten lost during a fishing trip with a group but he knew no other languages than his own native English and he had no passport. There was also a chance that someone would have been at the lake at the same time he said he was there and accused him of lying and it also wouldn't explain his buying a week's worth of food for three people. His second idea had been to claim he was someone's long lost grandson but he forgot that idea when he realised that he might get trapped with a mad old woman that he couldn't stand and would never leave. Even though it had held a certain appeal from the point of view of never having to deal with Lily again it didn't remove the fact that she would come and find him and inevitably kill him. After a greater amount of minutes than he could count, he had reached a third idea of pretending that he was deaf or blind and walking around the town aimlessly until someone helped him. The only problem with that idea was that he didn't know how he'd manage to communicate with someone if they did try to assist him. Stamping his foot on the ground in frustration he continued to ponder upon his predicament.

Never once had he thought of turning tail and going back to his usual haunts near the Crazytown docks.

Finally reaching a decision, Larry settled himself on just walking into the nearest food shop and seeing what happened. He'd wait until he was actually asked any questions before he thought about what he was going to say in regards to an answer. Pausing briefly at the corner of the building to look around, he headed off. The moment he stepped around the wall enclosing the school he noticed a great amount of interest fixed upon him. He was a stranger here and it was a fact that couldn't be pressed on him any harder than it was being now.

Even though no one had approached him yet he knew that his observers were keeping a close eye on him, questioning how he had got there and why he had come. He didn't let their gazes put him from his purpose. The only thing keeping him going was the knowledge that they wouldn't kill him if he didn't do the food shopping. It was Lily that frightened him more.

After walking for some minutes he finally found a shop and after looking behind him to see whether or not he was being followed, he walked in. As he looked around the deceptively big shop he could see that they had everything he'd need and headed in the direction of his first purchase. On his journey around the shelves and down the aisles he looked occasionally at the man stood behind the counter, watching him. There was nowhere in the shop that he wasn't in full view of the counter and so he had to brush aside his temptation to hide some of the smaller items on his imaginary shopping list in his pockets.

When he was finally ready to pay for his items he carried them unsteadily to the counter. The man was still watching him, his distinguished features marred with suspicion. He could see the man's brown eyes flicking over to someone he'd noticed standing nearby as if he were trying to watch two people at once. As he dropped everything in his arms on the counter he nodded at the shopkeeper.

"Alright, mate?" Larry began forcing a smile, "Me name's Larry."

The shopkeeper nodded, inwardly cringing at the disgusting state of the man's teeth. "I'm Stingy. I take it you're new in town."

"You could say that, me old mucker. Just passing through on the way to a friend's house. Now if you don't mind, Squire, I want to get there pretty sharpish so if you would kindly cut the chat and total these up for me I'd be much obliged."

"Right. Well I'll tell you now that as you're a stranger here you can't have any of these things."

Larry's smile faded, "Why the bloody hell not?"

"They're mine." Stingy answered with a smile of his own.

Driven by a growing sense of fear and adrenaline, Larry panicked and pulled out his switchblade. He opened it and pointed it towards Stingy, his intentions very clear. For his part the other man looked startled for an instant but then seemed rather calm about having a knife pointed at him.

Larry soon discovered why.

The feeling of someone tapping on his shoulder diverted Larry's attention and he turned around, ignoring Stingy for the moment. Someone had been standing behind him, watching him, the same someone that he had failed to acknowledge standing nearby the counter. This someone was heavily muscled despite their age and the only other thing he could see before finding a hand at his collar that whipped him around was a large number nine printed on a strange badge on the man's chest.

Having apprehended the wannabe felon, Nine removed his knife from him. Clicking the blade back into place he handed it to Stingy with a slight smile and escorted Larry from the premises. As he stepped from the shop he gained the attention of two of Elias' men standing nearby and they ran over.

"What's happened?" The first man asked, barely breathless after his sharp burst of exercise.

"This man just tried to rob the shop. Luckily I was there and he knew that but I guess he decided to try it anyway. I'm sure I can trust you two to see that he is suitably dealt with."

"Yes, Sir." The second man said, "We'll take him to Elias."

Nodding, Nine began to loosen his grip on Larry's collar to allow the men to take hold of him but he didn't account for the man's willingness to escape. Before he could follow the man's movements, Larry had punched one of the men in the face and elbowed the other in the stomach. He also came under fire when Larry kicked backwards into one of his knees. His knee gave way and he had to let his attacker go as he tried to stop himself hitting the ground.

Free from his captors, Larry made a run for it. If he kept going he knew he could make it, they would only follow him so far. He looked behind him briefly to see if anyone was in pursuit and when he had satisfied himself that there was no one likely to pounce on him from behind he looked in the direction he was heading in. Not long after he looked back he ran into something, hard.

Larry found himself sitting on the ground, winded and slightly dazed. Trying to ease the numb roar in his head he shook it but it did little to calm it. The only advantage gained from the action was that his vision grew cleared and just ahead of him he could see a pair of very large feet.

Filled with a strange sense of foreboding, he began to tilt his head upwards. The feet became a pair of massive legs almost as thick as tree trunks. The legs were joined to a torso that seemed to ripple with every movement under a uniform similar to the man's that had stopped him. Connected to either side of the torso were two great arms that looked as mighty as the legs and from the top end of it a neck that looked just as formidable. The crown of the body built as strongly as a fortress was a head in equal proportion to everything else. Upon that head a triumphant smile gleamed out from a face dulled by age but that was by no means less striking. Connected altogether it seemed as if he were staring at a giant stone statue but this was a thing of flesh and blood.

"Oh God!" Larry shrieked out loud at his realisation.

Hardly able to believe his eyes, he blinked several times but the statue in front of him seemed not to get smaller but larger as it walked towards him with massive steps. His heart began to beat faster in his chest when it slowly began to lower itself down, bending over to bring itself to eye level with him.

"Buenas noches, amigo." The giant said, his voice booming in the silent air.

Larry stared blankly at the giant for a few seconds before passing out.


	3. Chapter 3

Elias paced about the claustrophobic cell waiting for his prisoner to wake up. It was apparent that he had named himself Larry upon his making himself known to the shopkeeper. He had no qualms about being locked in the cell with this man, he knew that no harm would come to him. As always he had his weapon close by him and there was no lack of confidence within him that he could use it when he needed to. In his mind he ran over the questions he would ask, they were few until he knew more but there was a strong feeling in his belly that the man had something to do with Lily. If this was indeed the case he would have no choice but to begrudgingly see that he was protected from any harm that might befall him. It was for this reason that Elias hated the rules that had been set upon him but he had no choice, if the prisoner was connected to Lily he was of more use to them alive than dead. Without him or any possible information he could give them their chances of completing their mission would sink even more rapidly than they already had.

A low moan reached Elias' ears and he turned around, pushing his thoughts away. He watched patiently until his prisoner had finished trying to sit up and noticed him. Much to his umbrage it took Larry slightly longer to recognise his presence in the room than he would have liked, valuable time was being wasted by the man's intolerable ignorance.

After two minutes of continued waiting for Larry to notice him, Elias observed the man trying to stand up with some effort and grunting loudly as he did so. Unwilling to assist in any way he continued to watch as he finally managed to pull himself from a sitting position to a standing one and remain upright. With his rapid progress the prisoner started to walk, confusing Elias as to why he seemed to have so much trouble placing his feet too hardly on the ground. There was no time for him to pursue his thoughts further when he noticed to absolute horror that his prisoner had unzipped the fly on his trousers, he needed no explanation of what was about to unfold when Larry rolled his underpants down.

Finally losing his patience, Elias coughed loudly giving his companion as polite a hint that he wasn't alone in the room. He was almost startled when Larry jumped violently and emitted a cry of complete surprise. Having finally been noticed would have been enough to pull Elias from his dark mood had the man not started to urinate on turning to face the person that had startled him. The situation may then have improved except for the fact that Elias had been unfortunate enough to be standing a mere foot from the man when he had turned around thereby causing a rather unfortunate accident.

Shaking with anger, outrage and a bitter tinge of embarrassment, Elias stared at Larry for several minutes in total silence. As his ability to speak gradually began to come back to him he tried to yell at his prisoner but in the grip of the emotions tearing through him he could only sputter small parts of words resulting in what sounded like total gibberish. It was some time before he could recover himself and when he had, if only just partly, he turned around and started to bang on the cell door to notify those outside that he wanted to come out.

From Elias' point of view the door couldn't have been opened much slower but in actual fact it had been opened almost immediately. This fact didn't stop him from yelling at the Officer that had opened the door as punctually as possible before he stormed off down the corridor and out of the Police Station.

Larry hadn't moved since the stranger had left his cell, he stood completely still in an effort to coax his brain to remind him of the identity of the man that was with him. He was certain that he had seen him somewhere before or had at least heard his voice but no name came to him. As his memory failed him a third time in his attempt to put a name to a still unfamiliar face he shook his head and pulled his trousers up before sitting back on the bench in his cell.

Not once had he questioned what he was doing there.

Two of Elias' men standing on guard outside of the station said nothing as he passed, fuming, but looked at each other when their nostrils detected a familiar yet unwelcome fragrance that they questioned the origin of. Two things made themselves certain to them though, something had happened in that cell and that keeping well clear of their employer was a wise idea.

As he walked along one of the beautifully surfaced roads that the town boasted, Boris heard his superior calling his name in a tone that defied silence on his part and he quickly acknowledged the shouts. He began walking towards the man still rapidly approaching, the expression on his face almost unreadable save for the myriad of muscles stretched and frayed by waves of anger. This made Boris stop dead in his tracks as he realised that it may have been best to feign deafness or an interest in something that wasn't there until he had no choice but to acknowledge Elias. He was tired of bearing the brunt of his leader's poor attitude and having to clean up any mess that was made afterwards.

He could only imagine what had happened this time.

"What is it?" Boris asked trying to shield his weary annoyance from his voice when Elias was close enough to hear him.

Elias frowned, "Don't take that tone with me! Don't forget who you're talking to, Boris, and don't forget my threat. Now, I'll be leaving town for a little while and I'm leaving you in charge until my return."

"Why are you leaving?"

"You could say I had a little…" Elias paused as he considered his next word, "Accident with the prisoner we detained earlier."

Boris' expression slowly began to melt into a frown of his own, "What happened?"

"He urinated on me, all over my legs. I'm sure I can rely on your discretion in this matter?"

"Of course. I won't tell anyone. You'd better go and get yourself cleaned up. If anything happens while you're gone I'll contact you immediately. Where will I be able to reach you?"

Elias shook his head, "You won't. I'll be back in three days, until then we'll have no contact. I'm sure I can trust you to keep things running smoothly in my absence. Make sure you keep up the patrols and check in with our hosts on occasion to make sure they're alright. We can't be too careful anymore."

A slight uneasiness had begun to creep into Boris' stomach at Elias' mention of his being incommunicado but it quickly passed as he remembered what his superior had said of what had happened in the cell.

Having handed over his instructions and warned his colleague of his departure

He maintained his composure as he watched Elias walk away and finally allowed himself to laugh when the man's black vehicle pulled away out of sight.

As far as he was concerned this was going to be an easy three days and he headed off to spread the good news that his tyrant of a leader was gone.

Lying on the carpet she opened her eyes. Her whole body was buzzing with a sensation she hadn't felt before. A slight ache had stretched itself across her temples upon her awakening but she ignored it, focussing purely on the raw pleasure that ran through her veins. For the first time in her whole life she felt truly alive. She was looking at the world with new eyes. Nothing from her past seemed to matter anymore. It was the future that captivated her.

Robyn sat up slowly, struggling to dull the drumming in her head. It passed after a few minutes, leaving behind it nothing more than silence. She relished in its disappearance. Standing up, she looked around and spotted her mother in the corner of the room watching her. A smile brushed her lips as she walked towards her.

Without moving, Lily allowed her daughter to come to a stop by her side. After a moment more of silence she decided it was time to speak but Robyn beat her to it.

"I want to thank you for opening my eyes." Robyn's voice was soft, hushed.

Allowing temptation to lead her on, Robyn pressed her lips to her mother's. This startled Lily briefly but she answered the kiss with one of her own. When they separated Lily brushed a lock of her daughter's hair from her forehead and left the room with a genuine smile upon her face.

Her plan had worked perfectly.


	4. Chapter 4

Mayor Meanswell stood up from his chair and answered the door after three knocks upon it disturbed the meal he and his guests had been trying to eat. No one had managed more than three mouthfuls, no one felt in the mood for food despite the fact that their stomachs growled and rumbled with hunger. Their appetite just wasn't there anymore and none of them were sure whether it would return until Robyn did. They ate for the sake of eating, for the sustenance it gave them so if anything happened they would be able to prepare themselves better for it. They ate so they had a chance against growing sick from worry and a lack of food but they didn't enjoy it. Every morsel of food that passed by their lips seemed tasteless, every swallow seemed a labour and the silence that surrounded their table seemed like one akin to death.

As he had hoped the person at the door would provide a distraction but the Mayor knew that it was not such as would last. He allowed Boris entry before the man could ask and closed the door firmly behind him when he had crossed fully over the threshold. He bade the man sit down in a lonely chair left vacant by the counter before returning to his own seat.

"What brings you here this evening?" The Mayor asked pushing his plate away so that he could rest his elbows on the table.

Boris smiled slightly, "I'm glad to see that everyone is here, I was getting a little concerned when no one answered their doors. I have fairly good news which I'm afraid has nothing to do with Robyn at this moment."

"How can that be good news?"

"Elias has left town for a few days and he's left me in charge. From what he's told me there's no way for us to contact him and no way for him to contact us."

"That is good news," Kit smiled, his mood lifted slightly by the departure of a man he loathed, "But why tell us?"

"I thought you'd like to know and there's more."

Kit's interest piqued at the tone of Boris' voice, "Oh yeah?"

"Before he left Elias told me of an incident that happened in the cell we left Larry in. He was in there with him when it happened."

"What kind of incident?" Bessie asked her voice tinged with uncertain fear.

Boris smiled reassuringly as he allowed the humour he had buried upon being told to surface, "I think Elias startled Larry after he'd regained consciousness and he didn't go to the toilet quite where either or them had been expecting. Unfortunately for Elias, he got in the way."

It only took Kit a few seconds to grasp what Bruno meant and his face broke into a genuine smile as he said, "He pissed on him?"

"All over his trousers." Bruno replied nodding.

This news ignited Kit's dormant sense of humour and he started to laugh as he always had done before. It was laughter that gave light to a dark situation and lifted everyone's spirits.

"You know what I would have done?" Kit asked all and none when he'd calmed down, "I wouldn't have pissed on his legs, I'd have pissed on his head!"

It was Boris' turn to laugh. Until that moment everyone around the table had never expected that people employed in the Network had a sense of humour and their doubts were proved wrong. It was clear to them that there was obviously some degree of animosity between subordinate and superior that had triggered this attack of laughter from a man they had barely seen crack a smile since his arrival.

Boris eventually calmed down and seemed to instantly return to being a cool professional, removed from his emotions to allow him to do his job efficiently and effectively. The transformation was almost amazing but to those that had witness Elias' treatment of his men that showed their emotions in any way it was understandable. It seemed that only he that ruled them with an iron fist was allowed to show any form of feeling but they were not necessarily the most positive or reassuring of a man charged with their protection.

With the knowledge of Elias' departure many round the table felt strangely safer. It was an odd sensation they couldn't explain but it felt good.

Leaning forward slightly in his chair, Kit looked directly at Boris who returned the gaze. Both men seemed to communicate to each other that they wished to speak and seemed to be working out who would go first. It was a matter that was quickly resolved when Boris motioned for Kit to speak.

"Tell me about this Larry guy you found." Kit stated his voice unusually curious. "Is he by any chance completely bald? Does he speak with a very strong accent and have no teeth in his mouth whatsoever apart from a few stubby ones that aren't exactly pretty?"

Boris looked surprised as did Stingy and Nine, the only two other people to have seen Larry.

Kit raised his eyebrows, "Thought so. I know the guy, he used to run with the Shadow gang on and off. He used to be known as 'lastic mouth Larry because he couldn't keep it shut. He gave me a pretty piece of information once on Aurora's whereabouts, which gave me a pretty good opportunity to get out of their way. To thank him, Aurora punched all his teeth out when she found out. I don't think any of your lot are going to get anything much out of him, you don't know how to talk to him but I do and I have a pretty strong feeling that he knows something about Lily and where she's hiding."

Boris considered this for a moment before nodding; "If you think it would help it's worth a try. If you want we can go down there now and catch him off guard."

"I thought you'd never ask." Kit said before standing up and following Boris out of the house.

He was going to get some answers.

Down within the deep confines of the basement, Morgan wandered in endless circles. Even days after he had found his sister down here he still could not understand what had made her scream and what had frightened her to the point that she had lost consciousness. The answer evaded him save for a feeling that it had something to do with the abilities he had witnessed her using. There was much he didn't know about what she could do, he only knew what his mother had told him but he knew that she hadn't told him everything.

Drawn sharply from his musings by the sound of footsteps on the creaking stairs overhead he rushed quickly yet silently into the shadows. There were two people heading down the steps he was sure but as to their identities he had no clues. Neither of them was speaking as they came closer and closer to what he had always considered his domain since he had arrived here weeks before.

The two people reached the bottom of the stairs. He could see them as they walked into the centre of the room. One of them was his mother. The sight of her companion made him start to pull his knife from its sheath, he knew that man as an enemy and enemies had to be dealt with swiftly.

Lily noticed her son's presence in the room the moment she had reached the floor and secretly bade him peace with a simple motion of her hand undetectable to her companion, for him to also realise that they weren't alone would ruin the latest part of her plan. From the corner of her eye she could see her son step back slightly and sheathe his weapon. She was happy that he had complied but still she had to make sure that her companion hadn't noticed his presence.

Turning her full attention once more to her companion, Lily walked a little way across the room towards the front wall on the other side of the room from her son. Her guest followed her, apparently oblivious to any other presence in the room apart from her. This suited her but she didn't let her guard down, she knew that this man could be almost as devious as herself but his skills were nowhere near as honed.

"So what brings you here?" Lily asked her clueless follower.

The man smiled but walked away as if afraid of the reaction that would be drawn by the news he had to offer, "Information. Larry was found in Lazytown, he's locked up in a police cell at the moment. No one knows anything about him yet but it's only a matter of time."

Lily calmly absorbed this information she couldn't deny that she had expected it but now she had to make sure that no one discovered her hiding place.

"I want you to deal with Larry. Make sure that he doesn't speak a word of what he knows." Lily said holding her companion's eyes.

"How?" The man asked keeping his distance, "The town his still heavily guarded, it won't be easy."

Lily smiled as she walked towards her weary companion, "You're a resourceful man, Elias, I'm sure you can work something out and if you do the job well I'll make it worth your while."

The thought of the reward that would be given to him if he did as he was asked thrilled Elias. He left the basement swiftly never once realising that another person hiding in the shadows had heard every word.


	5. Chapter 5

Something was bothering Larry. He was still alive. It seemed strange to him that so far Lily had made no move to either punish him for being caught or to do something to free him, the latter he knew would never happen. A thought had crossed his weary mind that perhaps she didn't know that he had been caught but again that seemed unlikely. He knew her. He had known her for years. She had always had a reputation for having eyes and ears everywhere. Most of the people that gave her information had no idea who they were giving it to, most often she was a third party to a string of people who had exclusive knowledge of who their employer was. It was a position he had worked hard to gain but he knew his place was a tenuous one and sometimes something he wished he had never acquired. He knew that there had to be a person such as himself in the town, someone that reported back to her everything that was happening. If she didn't already know what had happened she soon would and he knew that it was something that would get him killed to prevent him leaking news of her whereabouts.

No matter what happened now he knew he had two options. One was to tell whatever interrogator came to his cell everything he knew thereby pulling Lily down with him when she sent someone to silence him. The other was to remain loyal to a woman that had done him great violence in the not too distant past and times before that when he had questioned her authority. Either way he knew he was going to die, the question was when and who she would send to do the deed.

And so, sitting upon what his 'hosts' had called a bed, a rather doubtful name for something that looked like a wide shelf, Larry pondered what he would do as far as his intellect would allow him.

Having been loyal to Lily for so long he was inclined to remain that way, more for the sake of a quick and merciful death than of a slow and painful one if he was found to have given his captors the whereabouts of her hide out. With that information he was sure to be bought some time, enough to try to hide but he knew that they'd never catch her, she was much too clever for that. There was always somewhere else for her to hide, she was a woman that always had a back up plan and once she had managed to conceal herself from the outside world once more she would send someone to kill him.

A strange chill swept over him as he heard footsteps in the corridor, echoing closer and closer to his cell. Knowing that he was going to die wasn't what frightened Larry the most it was the question of when. Each time he had heard the door open at the end of the corridor that led to the cells his heart had leapt into his throat. The sound of footsteps hounded him each time they passed his door, the grate of the spy hatch opening reminded him of the sound of a knife being sharpened as it was ripped back on its slider. He was checked on often, perhaps too often but there were no other prisoners being held. If anyone came down here it was to see him and there were no guarantees that he was safe.

Two sets of feet carried themselves to his door. Larry almost leapt out of his skin when the spy hatch was drawn back suddenly and a familiar face from his past appeared in the gap left behind, a face he had hoped never to come across again without the protection of his friends. Friends that weren't at hand to help him.

The face disappeared momentarily, the door to the spy hatch slid back into place and there was silence once more. Larry waited for the door to open and admit the person outside but no one came, he waited a little while longer but still no one entered.

Boris looked on with confusion as Kit backed himself into a wall and leant against it heavily. He walked towards him, concern showing blindly on his features. There was obviously something wrong with his companion but he couldn't tell what. He wanted to know what had changed in Kit's resolve to see Larry but he wasn't sure if he should ask.

Kit looked up at Boris when he realised he was being watched, "I'm not sure if I can go in there."

"Why not?" Boris frowned, "You want to know if he knows where Lily is don't you?"

"Of course I do. But going in there, I'm frightened that I'm going to go back to a place I don't want to be. I've come a long way since I last met him and I don't want to waste that work."

"I can see what you're saying but I don't quite understand."

Sighing, Kit explained. "I've got an anger problem, most of it I sorted when I went to anger management a little while back but I'm not sure that anything is going to work when I confront him and that I'm going to turn into that person I don't want to be. I don't want all the work I've done to come undone just because of him. I know what he's like."

Boris laid a hand on Kit's shoulder, "Don't worry. If it gets a bit heavy in there for you I'll sort him out."

Kit nodded and smiled. Standing up straight he felt in his pocket for the cell door keys one of the Police Officers had given him. This would be the ultimate test for him and his self-control. What frightened him more than anything that his desire to learn of Robyn's location would override everything he'd learnt. There was also the fact that Larry may just have been in the wrong place at the wrong time and had had nothing to with Lily that played on his mind as he unlocked the door.

The moment Larry had been waiting for arrived. He didn't quite know how he felt about seeing Kit after all these years when faced with him. His original reaction hadn't changed and he was still nervous, even more so than before when another man walked in behind him dressed in a similar attire to the man he had woken to find in his cell. He wasn't sure what was less welcome, Kit or the man in uniform but he knew he had to get through this somehow.

"Alright, Kitten." Larry greeted Kit before turning his head to face the man in uniform, "You know why we call him that?"

Boris shook his head.

Larry smiled his toothless grin, "It's cos Aurora saw a kitten trying to take on one of 'er doggies once upon a time and it scratched 'is nose. Poor kitty got eaten though. Doggy ripped it to pieces but when Kit here tried taking on Meat Head one time it reminded her of the little kitty so the name stuck. Kitten here always takes on stuff bigger than 'im, he don't know no different, do he?"

"Enough nostalgia, Larry. I'm not here to take a trip to the past with you. I'm here for some information. You've heard of Lily haven't you?"

"Who hasn't? She ain't exactly no fairy tale. Aurora knew her, knew her quite well in fact. They met on and off…" Larry broke off when he'd realised what he'd just said.

Kit's face lit up, "Aurora and Lily? Now that makes a lot of sense. I remember you telling me that there was someone higher than Aurora in the gang, that she was the boss but not the all out leader. That's quite interesting, Lily in charge of the Shadows. I never would have thought about it if you hadn't let that one slip. Now, back to business, what do you know about her?"

"I ain't saying nuffing. She'd kill me if she knew I'd told you anything."

"Poor, Larry. You're really living up to your reputation aren't you?" Kit beamed before turning serious, "Where is she Larry?"

Larry began to panic as he realised he was fighting a losing battle with his mouth. He knew that the harder Kit pushed him the more he would inadvertently reveal. He'd said more than enough already, enough to ensure that he would receive the painful death he feared the coming of. All he could hope for now was that it arrived before he revealed anything more.

It seemed that someone had heard Larry's silent hope as a black shape burst through the unlocked cell door. Boris had been standing by the door and as it flew open he was thrown back against the wall, the sudden impact knocking him unconscious. Before Kit could get a look at their attacker he felt something hard make impact with his head, the last he thing he saw before he blacked out was a glint of something silver.

Left completely vulnerable, Larry gulped hard. The time he had been waiting for had arrived, it was only now that he realised that he wasn't ready to die but there was no choice for him in the matter.

His executioner stayed his hand no longer and exacted his terrible deed. There was only one thing to do now. Tossing the bloodied murder weapon on the floor he threw himself onto the ground and waited for someone to come, too many people had seem him enter the Police Station for him to make any attempt to escape when the body was discovered. There would be no questions asked if it looked like he had been attacked as well.

And after they had let him go it would be time for him to reap his reward.


	6. Chapter 6

Something was touching his head. It was soft and warm but he couldn't quite tell what it was. It seemed to stay there for a long time before it was taken away. He was glad that it was gone, it had begun to feel wet and sticky as it had been pressed harder to the side of his head. That had hurt a little but he hadn't been able to do anything about it. He'd tried to move but every part of his body he tried to get to respond refused to listen to his brain's frantic cries for some sign that they still worked. He was becoming gradually more aware of what was around him but for now all he could focus on was the soft, warm thing that had been placed back on his head. It felt cleaner now, fresher and it calmed him a little. Feeling totally helpless even as his brain began to wake from its enforced slumber, he could only lay there with that thing pressed to his head.

Both Doctors hadn't expected to see what they had been faced with when they had answered an emergency call from the police station that demanded at least two medics. Upon entering the small cell they had seen the carnage wrought within. Two men, one of which both Doctors knew well, were lying on the floor. One had been in the middle of the room the other propped up behind the door as if he had been trapped behind it. A third man, or what was left of one, was spread across the bench affixed to the wall. From the sheet thrown over him it was obvious to them that they had only two patients to treat.

Each doctor chose a patient and went to work assessing what had happened and what treatment was needed. Doctor Malone attended to Boris while Doctor Cole concentrated on Kit.

Swiftly opening his medical bag when his patient groaned loudly, Doctor Malone put on some of his medical gloves and inspected the head wound Boris had suffered. Luckily it seemed the damage suffered wasn't as bad as he first thought but unfortunately it seemed that this particular patient was one prone to making noise at the slightest touch. As he continued to feel for other injuries that may have been afflicted to the parts of the body that had come into contact with the wall, Doctor Malone willed his patient to wake up and shut up.

On the other side of the room, Doctor Cole was dealing with quite another case. Kit hadn't responded to verbal stimuli and something made him doubt that he would respond to pain either. Not even the swab he had pressed firmly to the bleeding patch on the side of his head had seemed to have any effect. He could only hope that Kit regained consciousness soon and with no complications. His best option was to try the pain stimuli and see what happened but there was something else he wanted to try quickly first.

The guards in the room looked on in confusion as Doctor Cole moved himself down level with Kit's feet and began to undo one of his shoes and take it off. When it was off he proceeded to remove the sock. With one of his patient's feet exposed, Doctor Cole did something that seemed unusual to those not employed within the medical profession.

He tickled the bare foot.

Deep within the haze his mind had wrapped itself in; Kit could feel an unusual but amusing sensation coming from his foot. As it grew stronger it began to waken his brain. He could feel his limbs again but the only one he wanted to move was the leg he could feel the end of being assaulted. As much as he found it humorous it was beginning to become annoying and he wanted his foot away from the thing that was attacking it.

Doctor Cole smiled when Kit moved his foot out of the way of his hand and started to make signs that he was waking up. His plan had worked and he returned to his original position next to the upper part of Kit's body and replaced the swab he had managed to leave against the wound. It was still bloody but not as much so as the first swab he had used. The bleeding was starting to ease as his blood began to clot.

Doctor Malone had no need to show any more concern for his patient who had now regained full consciousness and was trying to stand. He placed a placating hand on the man's shoulder to try to warn him off any sudden motion but Boris paid no heed. He carried on trying to stand, regardless, and when he finally succeeded, regretted it. His head swam with such force that he nearly fell to the ground and a wave of nausea passed over him. He managed to remain on his feet with the help of a nearby wall which he had thrown himself against so that his balance was given a chance to reset itself to the right level.

"I tried to warn you about doing that." Doctor Malone scorned lightly as he stood up next to his patient.

Boris shook the remaining dizziness from his head. "I don't care about that."

Boris paused as his head shaking made his dizziness worse. Having discovered that keeping his head still was the best option he endeavoured to do so but there were enquiries he had to make regardless of his condition.

Something had happened here and he had to know what it was.

Lily watched over Robyn as she played with a cup that had been left on the table. It was strangely amusing watching her slide it from hand to the other and twirl it around as if it were a toy. As she sat almost as a statue in her own chair, a smile painted upon her lips, a thought came into her mind, a distant memory of something she had been told a long time ago. It seemed that now was the time to put what she had been told to the test.

Pushing her chair back as she stood from it, Lily continued to watch her still preoccupied daughter. It seemed a shame to remove her from her distraction but if her idea worked it would give her and her small family a very great advantage against their enemies.

"That cup in you hand," Lily began, her voice breaking through her daughter's misplaced concentration. "Move away from it."

Robyn frowned slightly, "Why?"

"Trust me. Stand up and come over to me."

Still very much confused by her mother's request, Robyn obeyed. She couldn't tell yet what she was expected to do but she was sure that it was something she'd soon discover. Coming to a stop at her mother's side she allowed herself to be turned around to face the way she had come, her mother's hands steering her shoulders.

Bringing her lips close to Robyn's ear, Lily whispered. "It's about time I showed you just how far your powers can go. Already you have some idea of what you can do. Your powers are growing, Robyn. There is so much more you can do but it's talent you haven't tapped yet. What happened in the Town Hall after I left is a prime example of that."

"What do you mean?" Robyn asked, still not understanding.

"The lights and the windows breaking was no accident. That was you. The negative emotions, the anger inside you, you used them to do it. There are similar things you can do but without using those emotions, with just a single thought."

Robyn looked at her mother, "What kind of things?"

Knowing exactly what she would use as an example, Lily moved away from her daughter slightly and pointed towards the cup on the table. It would prove an adequate test of the readiness of her daughter's powers and how far they had advanced.

"The cup. Pick it up," Lily stopped Robyn when she moved towards the table, "Without touching it."

"But that's impossible," Robyn laughed.

"Not for you it isn't. You know what the cup feels like. Feel it now in your hand, want it to be in your hand. Go on, feel it in the palm of your hand. Concentrate and it will come to you."

Concentrating as hard as she could, Robyn raised the memory of what the cup had felt like in her hand. She began to be able to feel it in the palm of her hand, its textured surface rough against her skin. The sensation of it being there grew stronger, it was as if it was actually in her hand.

As if by some strange spell, the cup flew from the table towards Robyn. She grabbed it before it hit her but there was no way to stop the shockwaves of the magnitude of what had happened from striking her.

Hearing her mother laughing, she turned around. It seemed that the depth of what had happened hadn't been lost on her either.

"Excellent," Lily hissed with a strange delight, "That power works both ways. Not only can you bring things towards you, you can also repel them from you. Will the cup to be back on the table and let it go."

A temptation came over Robyn to try the other side of this new edge to her abilities on something other than the cup. Turning fully to face her mother she allowed a single thought to run through her mind.

Before Lily could stop it or could realise what was happening she felt something strike her. The force of the invisible blow sent her flying across the room into a nearby wall. She slid down it, semi- conscious, her brain unable to fully comprehend what had happened.

Smiling, Robyn left the room saying the words, "I like that way better."


	7. Chapter 7

He had gotten sick of waiting. No one had come. Choosing to find another way out rather than remain on the floor and suffer more than probable interrogation from his men when the crime was discovered, Elias had regained his feet and searched for another way out. The risk he was taking by doing so was great, he had been seen entering the building and heading for the cells but there was always more than one way to get around any difficulties that might arise for him. No one in that room would have seen him; no one would have been able to identify him even if they had. If he did things right everything would work nicely for him, the only thing he had to do was make sure he had a story if anyone asked him any questions.

Such a story had crept into his brain, there were flaws but with enough work he could make it convincing enough to fool anyone that dared to speak ill of him.

Having successfully completed his task it was time for him to reap his reward. Keeping a close eye of what was going on around him, Elias headed for the woods by the lake. They were the only areas of the Town he had neglected to see guarded and they served as an ideal hiding place for the weapon he had used to murder Larry, a weapon that all of his men carried as standard issue. After he had buried it he had the full intention of tracking down Lily. In his pocket he had proof of his accomplishment, nothing less would fully convince her of what he had done. He hoped that it would satisfy her, he knew well what would happen to him if it didn't.

Boris stared at the dark red patches that had smeared the wall in front of him, wondering. That could have been his blood, or Kit's blood, but it wasn't. It was the blood of the only man that could have held the key to what they were looking for. With no clues of any kind except for a growing body count all hope of finding Lily was growing thin and with that the hope of ever bringing Robyn home again. It felt as if they were being watched, that their every move was being monitored somehow. Every move they made to try to find Robyn was thwarted. No one had seen what had happened to Larry or who had attacked him; the only witnesses had been knocked out. By the time anyone had found them their attacker had been long gone, disappeared through a fire exit at the further end of the corridor.

Not only was the attacker missing but so was Elias, a worrying fact until they knew where he had gone or what had happened to him. They had to find him, if he was still alive.

Boris quickly quashed that thought. Elias couldn't be dead, if he were they would have found him with Larry. Either that or he had pursued the attacker. There was only one problem that stuck in his mind at that eventuality, no one had seen anyone but Elias, himself and Kit enter the police station let alone the cells. Another factor was that the fire exit could only be opened from the inside, there was no way that someone could have come through that way from the outside. The attacker had to be someone from the inside and in his mind there were only two people that could have done the deed, Kit or Elias. He couldn't deny that Kit had been knocked out also and the only person missing from the room was Elias but he couldn't stand to continue to think of what this meant and the implications that would follow.

Lily opened the back door before Elias had had a chance to lay his hand upon it to knock. Her stormy expression told him that he had done the wrong thing by coming to the house and he hoped he could rectify the situation before he paid for his mistake. Unfortunately the opportunity didn't arise for him to do so in the three seconds it took Lily to make up her mind.

He found himself being dragged roughly into the house by the collar. As he tried to regain his footing he found his boots slipping on the wooden floor under the force of Lily's speed. His hands fumbled for something to grab hold of in hopes that he might be able to break her grip by hanging on with all his might but his trembling fingers failed to find a suitable surface.

Even when he had been pulled into the corridor and held his palms flat against the wall in an attempt to still his involuntary process he could not keep a good enough grip to slow her down. He followed, helpless, as she pulled him towards a door that she threw open, a door that he had been through before. Knowing where that door led and to what purpose it was to be used, Elias began to lose control of his tightly reigned fear and started to panic.

He didn't have long to panic before Lily shoved him harshly through the door into the pitch darkness beyond. Her hand had left his collar and now he felt himself falling, bouncing, and rolling down the creaking wooden steps.

Somewhere between the middle of the steps and the bottom he had lost all sensation in his body and felt nothing when he hit the tile floor at the bottom of that deadly staircase with a mighty force and cracking of bones. He laid there on the floor, vision blurred and hearing distorted, waiting for the next step his aggressor would make.

Through the mangled state of his crackling hearing, Elias could hear Lily walking down the steps after him. He turned his head towards the steps and watched as she stepped gracefully into the basement and walked towards him. Despite himself he flinched when she brought a hand close to him, whether she was offering him help to stand up or was wanting to trick him he didn't know and he didn't want to find out. He was grateful when she withdrew the hand with a neutral smile, even with his vision affected, as it was he could see she was very disappointed.

"Why did you come here?" Lily asked, her tone venomous.

Elias licked his cracked and bleeding lips, "I did what you asked me to do. I killed Larry."

"I don't care. You shouldn't have come here. Do you have any idea what you might do whenever you come here? You are putting everything at risk!"

"How can I do that?"

Lily's face darkened with anger, "Because Robyn is here and if she senses you it's all over! You fool! Why do you think I brought you down to the basement when you came here the first time? As long as you're out of range we're safe but if she gets one whiff of your presence here she'll know what's going on and I don't want to be around when that happens."

Something in what Lily had said struck Elias as odd. As he processed it through his mind he found what had confused him.

Despite the pain he was feeling and the danger he would be putting himself in if he did so, Elias laughed.

"It sounds almost as if you're scared of her," He chuckled.

Lily didn't find this joke funny, she ran towards Elias and kicked him in the ribs with full force. He knew better than to cry out and bit down on his lip to quell the scream that had risen from his chest. To cry out would be to bring extra suffering upon himself and run the risk of further inciting Lily's anger if her daughter were to hear what was going on and see him there.

Satisfied that Elias had learnt his lesson for now, Lily walked away from him and made her way up to the mid point of the steps.

"Morgan!" She called, trusting her son to hear her.

In a few moments, Morgan appeared in the doorway, his frame silhouetted by the light outside. Lily heard a click and closed her eyes rapidly when the basement became flooded with light. When she opened them again he was standing before her, awaiting his orders.

Lily turned and pointed at Elias, "Dispose of him somewhere. I'll keep Robyn distracted while you move him."

Morgan nodded and watched as Lily moved past him and climbed up the rest of the steps. He walked down to the bottom of them and picked up Elias who was wise enough not to struggle. With little effort he carried him up the stairs and out into the corridor. He was about to make his way to the back door when a voice stopped him.

"Morgan, I want him alive." Lily commanded.

She saw her son nod his understanding and turned away to find her daughter but an afterthought struck her as she turned a corner of the corridor.

"For now." She whispered to herself.

Boris was fighting with his conscience in the cell. There were only two people who could have done the terrible deed of murdering Larry and he had no choice but to accuse one of them of the crime but the question was who. Reaching deep into himself he took a deep breath and turned to Kit who looked back at him.

His heart heavy, Boris said the following words. "Kit, I'm arresting you under the jurisdiction of this town and the authority invested in me by the Network, for the murder of Larry DeLaney."


	8. Chapter 8

Sportacus walked into his new home, a room in a motel on the far side of Greentown, a bag of clothes he had borrowed from a refuge in his right hand, the key to the door in the other. As he looked over the dark, dingy room he thought of his airship, it's gleaming surfaces and bright lights, all faded into nothing when it came crashing down to the earth in a heap of twisted metal. A sudden pang of homesickness swept over him, not only for his home in the sky but for the one that he had watched over and protected for many years. He longed to see it once more but it was too late to go back now, his reputation was in tatters and his life there was over. Even if he could go back he was sure that he wouldn't be welcome, he had hurt too many people and had played more than a fundamental part in Robyn's disappearance.

No one knew that he had watched as she had walked away from the town, if they had they might have been even less forgiving of him.

Finally stepping over the threshold, Robbie's words came back to him. Their truth haunted him. He had always dumped Robyn on Robbie when he had been around to take her. For so many years he had allowed her to believe that another man was her father and once again he had abandoned her, leaving town and handing her back to Robbie.

He hated himself for proving his once past and now present adversary right. There had to be some way to change the pattern he had always fallen into, some way to mend the damage he had caused but he knew that it wouldn't be easy. To repair the damage he had done to their relationship he had first to find his daughter but while she was with Lily there was little chance of him doing so and coming back alive. He was yet too weak to face another confrontation with his sister who at this time was more than capable of killing him but it was not only she that he had to worry about.

There was Morgan.

Shuddering at the thought of that name, of the memories it brought and the fear the knowledge that he had fathered such a person as him, Sportacus finally crossed over the threshold of what was now his home. When he closed the door behind him he felt as if he had cut his connection to his life in town, his family, his friends and everything he had ever known but more importantly to his daughter and his responsibilities as a father.

Dropping his bag of clothes on the floor he crossed the room to the bed. Coming to a stop beside it he threw himself onto it. It was an action that would have sent him sprawling to the floor when the legs gave way from underneath if he hadn't placed a well timed foot on the floor and somersaulted from the bed the moment he felt the legs begin to crumble.

With his arms folded, Sportacus stood staring at the crumpled pile of blankets and poor quality wood that lay in a mess at his feet. There was something laying nestled amongst the chaos it was covered by the corner of one of the blankets. Kneeling down awkwardly he picked it up, the sight of it brought tears to his eyes.

They were tears he had tried to suppress but now they came freely, spilling over his cheeks and onto the only picture he had left of he and his daughter in one of their happiest times. It was the only thing he had left from his airship, the only memory he had left to treasure but one that was tarnished by his lies.

Everything that had happened, everything that he done, every mistake he had made hit him hard and fast as it had never done before. Instead of fighting to save their relationship like he should have, he allowed it to crumble to dust but not more so when he had watched her leave town. The fact that it could be the last time that he ever saw her again tore him painfully but he had done the right thing.

He kept telling himself that, hoping that he would eventually come to believe it.

Silence crashed into the room. It seemed to centre around the accused and the accuser. Those outside of that domain stood stunned, disbelieving. Even those people that were guards in the room seemed shocked, almost as if they had expected something else to happen.

Kit was too surprised to do anything as Boris snapped some handcuffs on his wrists. He was too shocked to fully comprehend what was going on. Larry was dead he knew that. He had been knocked unconscious, the seconds before darkness overtook him he had seen something silver. He knew he hadn't killed Larry.

He hadn't killed Larry.

As if restarted by this thought, Kit's brain kicked back into action and the full reality of what had been said to him and what was happening now became clear. His eyes lit up with realisation and he tried to pull his hands away but they were held tight by the handcuffs and Boris' firm grip. There was a look in Boris' eyes that seemed to tell Kit was he refused to believe.

"What are you doing?" Kit cried trying to pull himself away regardless of what it looked like, "I didn't kill him! I was here you know I was! How could I have killed him? I was unconscious!"

This plea of mercy did nothing to dent Boris' intention of removing the handcuffs and letting Kit go, instead he began to drag what everyone had thought to be an innocent man from the cell.

With no other choice than to obey, Kit followed as Boris strode down the corridor towards the steps leading up to the main body of the police station. He could feel eyes upon him as he walked through towards the main doors, trailing behind Boris. He kept his own eyes fixed on the back of his accuser's head, unwilling to move them in case he should meet glares of further accusation that would burn into him a feeling of guilt that there was no reason for him to feel.

As he was pulled outside Kit could hear the murmur of voices speaking softly. Now more than ever he kept his eyes fixed tight on a spot beyond him, unable to look at his friends. He didn't know how much they knew but he couldn't look at them all the same. He was too ashamed and couldn't bear to see them looking at him, doubting him. The disappointment he could envision on their faces was as much as he could stand, to see it there for real would destroy him.

Keeping his eyes away from those that looked upon him and his prisoner, Boris whistled for someone to bring his Land Rover over. He tossed his keys to the nearest volunteer who ran towards the place that he knew his superior's vehicle to be kept, another solid portion of proof that their operation in Lazytown appeared to have been planned to the smallest detail.

It wasn't long before Boris was united with his Land Rover once more. Its temporary chauffeur opened the driver door and slid from the seat, the engine still running. Boris began to walk Kit around to the passenger side, obscuring them from the view of their observers, as he opened the door he pushed him to get in.

"Where are you taking me?" Kit asked nervously.

Boris' voice held a hint of desperation as he said, "Just get in."

Unsure about where the desperation came from or what had caused the look on his captor's face, Kit obeyed. There was something more going on than he had thought previously. A strange desire to know what was going on began to override his fears but he didn't want to pay the price for his confidence.

Everything was dark in the room when Sportacus returned to his new home. Once again he was holding a bag in one of his hands but this time it was a bag of food he'd purchased from the local shop. As he reached for the light switch something happened that he hadn't expected in the slightest.

There was a click somewhere in the room and at that very instant a light came on in the room. His bottom jaw swung open when he saw who was sitting in a chair by the table upon which the only other light in the room was stood. He blinked several times in disbelief of what he was seeing but each time he saw the same thing.

"Robyn?" He exhaled.


	9. Chapter 9

They were travelling quickly away from town, away from civilisation. In front of them there was nothing but road, behind them lay Lazytown, Crazytown and Greentown. If they continued to travel south they would eventually come across ToothTown, a place he had visited once before and in its own right more unusual than Crazytown. Neither man spoke as the empty fields whisked past them; trees interspersed amongst miles of grassland. There were no other cars on the road either ahead of or behind them, they were totally isolated from society of any kind. Every mile that took them deeper into the void between towns, Kit's anxiety grew. He still had no idea where he and his captor were heading or what was to happen to him. They were questions he was too afraid to ask and he wasn't sure if he'd be ready for the answers when they came. As he looked over at his captor he wondered what he was thinking, what plans were running though his mind as he drove.

Looking at the mingling expressions on Boris' face Kit could tell that something was soon to unfold. Boris wanted to speak, he could see it in his eyes, on his face, in the twitching of the man's lips but he was holding back. Whatever it was he wanted to say it was something big, something that he wanted to confide in him but was unsure if it should pass his lips. He seemed to be debating whether or not he should divulge what seemed a personal secret.

It seemed that Boris had won his battle with himself when he suddenly slammed on the brakes, throwing himself and Kit forward with the force of the motion. They were thrown back into their seats in the same fashion and sat there for a few minutes, winded.

"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" Kit asked breaking his silence.

Boris shook his head but then replied, "It's Elias."

"What about him?"

"It's hard to explain and I just hope I'm wrong but then if I'm not it won't make things any better, in fact it could make them worse. I think...I think Elias has gone rogue."

Kit frowned, "Rogue?"

"Sometimes heroes go off at the deep end, no one knows exactly why. Some say it's the responsibility involved in the job, others say that they lose their way. When they lose sight of what they're supposed to be doing, when they stop being a hero and start doing bad things it's what we call going rogue. They ignore the vows they've made and turn away from their duties. Many of those that are known to have gone rogue have taken lives rather than saved them."

"What does this have to do with you arresting me? You don't honestly think I killed Larry do you?"

"Of course I don't. I had to arrest you so I could leave and keep suspicion down. I can't accuse Elias of going rogue and I can't prove it either. Something tells me that Elias is working for Lily. It's just a feeling I have but without evidence there's nothing I can do. If I speak of it to anyone within the Network and I'm wrong I could be in serious trouble but that's not the worst that could happen."

"What is the worst that could happen?"

Boris shook his head once more but replied nonetheless, "If Elias gets wind of my suspicions he could drag me down with him and destroy my career. If I hadn't have arrested you everyone would have known that something was up. There's another reason why I arrested you, which I hope will bring some good to the situation."

"Oh yeah? I hope it's not that it'll give me a criminal record with a murder charge on." Kit scoffed looking out the window.

"No, it's not. If Elias _is_ working for Lily then he'll report back to her when he knows what I've done. With any luck Robyn will find out what I've done-"

"And it'll bring her home," Kit interrupted understanding exactly what Boris was telling him. He turned his head from the window and looked back at Boris; "If I didn't have these handcuffs on I'd hug you. Do you think it will work? Do you really think she'll come home?"

"She loves you doesn't she?"

Sportacus watched as his errant daughter stood. Her movements were fluid than they had been in months as she walked slowly, dangerously towards him. The weakness that had plagued one side of her body looked almost as if it had disappeared entirely since she had been gone. His eyes drank in every inch of her; she looked more alive than she ever had done but something fundamental had changed in her. Her eyes seemed to smoulder as they looked into his, making a contact that he couldn't break.

She entranced him, her every step ensnaring him deeper into a web of false security. There was something dangerous, something predatory burning in her eyes but his senses were too clouded over for him to think anything of it. He watched as a smile passed over her lips, it was a smile that he had never thought he'd see upon them. He should have taken it as a warning sign but blinded by her presence it passed him by.

They were standing mere inches apart now, their breath mingling. Robyn leant forward slightly, her head tilting to the right. Her eyes continued to hold Sportacus' in their grasp until the last second before their lips met.

It was then that Sportacus came to his senses.

Grabbing hold of Robyn's arms he pushed her away. She stumbled back but retained her balance, her eyes burning into his with such anger, as he had never beheld in them before. He watched as she walked slowly towards him, almost frightened that she would strike him again but nothing happened. She walked slightly past him, stopping just past his right shoulder and turned around to face him. He remained still, not wanting to force her anger upon him. Her breath tickled his ear as she leant closer, her lips brushing it as they opened.

"Now you know how it feels," He heard her whisper harshly.

Sportacus turned around as he felt Robyn walk away. He made to reach out to her but she anticipated his movement and swatted his hand away, turning back to face him. Her eyes burnt into him as he moved towards her, unable to speak, not knowing what to say but certain that he couldn't let her leave again.

Trying once more to grab hold of her he almost succeeded but she wrenched herself from his grasp before he had a chance to tighten his hold. As her entire body went rigid with fury he paled with the thought that she would strike him again but with much more force than before. The realisation that he was afraid of his own daughter would have shamed him under different circumstances but for now he was entirely occupied in anticipating her next move and finding the right way to deal with it.

The next move arrived; it wasn't what he had been expecting, in fact far from it. His daughter's temper seemed to cool and her frame became more relaxed but still tense under the blaze of her anger.

She moved towards him once more, as slowly as before. One of her hands snaked around behind her back. A lump that had been forming in his chest leapt up to his throat as she pulled her hand out from behind her and revealed a gun. Instead of pointing it at him she just handed it to him, letting it slip easily from her fingers into his.

Sportacus' hand shook as the weapon was placed in his hand but not from the weight of the gun but from fear. Something had to have happened, she had to have done something with the gun. He watched with pleading eyes as she slowly leant towards him. Her lips met with ear, they parted and he could feel a rush of air tickling the hairs around it.

"I left a little present for you outside, I hope you enjoy it." Robyn whispered her tone ominous.

As Robyn turned and walked from the room, Sportacus could only stand frozen to the spot. His stomach churned when he thought of what he might find left for him. She had given him a gun, a gun he didn't know whether or not she had used. He didn't want to go out into the gardens but he had to.

It was his job. He was a hero.


	10. Chapter 10

They were gathered around the kitchen table again. This time no one was eating there was only thinking and talking. They had seen a sight today they had never expected to see. Something they had never thought would happen. It was a thing of such rarity they struggled to accept it had happened. At first they hadn't known what was happening, all they had seen was Kit being led away in handcuffs by Boris. It was only when a large black van pulled up and two men went inside the police station that something told them something bad had happened. Their fears were confirmed when a body wrapped from head to toe in black tarp was dragged out of the police station on a trolley.

Someone had died.

Three people had been in that cell and only two had come out, one in handcuffs, the other leading the prisoner to one of the Network's black Land Rovers. The Mayor had wanted to ask Boris why one of the resident's of his town was being taken away but he had been stopped by another of the men observing the scene. With a kind request from the Network operative the Mayor had broken up the small crowd of his citizens and suggested they all meet at his house for some cocoa. Everyone had agreed and headed off towards the house, leaving the Mayor behind to try to gain some answers from the operative but once again he was deflected.

Deflated he had rejoined the others, no more idea than they of what had happened.

Unable to fully understand or accept what had happened, Pixel shook his head. "I just believe it. Kit couldn't have done that. I know he has a temper, we all do, but he's not a murderer."

"I don't know," Stingy joined, "But that Larry guy was in the Shadow gang. Maybe things got out of hand when he confronted him, as you said, Pixel, Kit has a temper."

Trixie stood up sharply, her action knocking her chair over. "Stingy! Are you saying you think Kit did it? How could you for one minute think that? He's your friend."

"That doesn't stop people killing other people. Even if he did do it I didn't say it was intentional. If he lost his temper accidents can happen. We've seen it happen before, haven't we?" Stingy argued, his words shocking those around the table, not through their callousness but through their undeniable truth.

A knock on the door interrupted Trixie's return attack on Stingy's logic and as she was the only one in the room standing she moved to answer the door. Opening it she saw Doctor Malone stood on the doorstep, without hesitation she allowed him to enter.

All eyes were upon the Doctor as he entered the house. Most of those in the room had seen him and Doctor Cole entering the police station, he was only one of a few people that knew what had happened in there. There was an evident amount of frustration on the man's face that told them it would be wise to wait to question him.

They all remained in silence save for a gentle enquiry to see who required more cocoa. There was a low hum of answers and thanks as extra cups were handed out before everything sunk back into silence.

No one seemed to take any notice of them as they walked into the roadside café. Every pair of eyes sat at what few tables remained habitable remained fixed on plates of greasy food or cups of ice cold tea and coffee. It seemed as if the place they had entered was frozen in time, not even awakening for the strangers that ventured in.

The clinking of the handcuffs on Kit's wrists seemed to echo against the small sounds emanating from around the room. None of them were any louder than a whisper, barely audible against the humming of an inefficient air conditioning unit.

As the two men passed through the café towards the rest rooms at the other end of the building, Boris detected slight movements from some of the patrons that only a trained professional such as himself could see. They were movements that warned him to be cautious, movements that the people making them knew he would be able to interpret. Their movements also seemed to hold a certain degree of certainty that he would see them more for who they were than civilians.

Shifting his attention from the patrons of the café back to his prisoner, Boris held open the restroom door for Kit before joining him inside. Neither man spoke while they refreshed themselves after the long, bumpy drive down an ill-laid road that had led them to their destination. Many a time they had thought they were being led on a wild goose chase, following signs that pointed in a variety of different directions. Eventually they had come upon it, in the horizon ahead of them the tall, gaping buildings of Tooth Town.

Boris' attention was taken from his reminiscences by the sound of metal clattering against porcelain. He looked over at Kit to see that he was struggling to wash his hands. The other man looked up at him when he realised he was being observed with annoyance clear on his face.

"You know this would be a lot easier if I didn't have these things attached to my wrists," Kit said indicating his handcuffs, "Why did you leave them on me anyway? You said I was innocent."

"Trust me, even outside of Lazytown there are still people from the Network out there. Anything they see will be relayed back to the others. If Elias hears that you've been seen out of handcuffs he'll get suspicious. It's the only way to make sure that this works."

Unusually Kit made no argument, he could see the sense in what Boris was saying and felt a twinge of fear as the knowledge that anyone could be watching them and reporting what they did back to Elias.

Shaking his head slightly, Kit looked up at Boris.

"So what do we do now?" He asked, not knowing what lay ahead of them.

Sportacus gingerly pushed open the door to the gardens that surrounded the motel. His heart pounded as he crossed over the threshold into the darkness beyond. Using his training he scanned the area with his eyes while slowly starting to move.

It didn't take long for him to see something in the distance, it looked like a small fire but he was too far away to tell. Moving quicker now he headed towards it, ignoring any possible traps that may befall him. Never once did the possibility occur to him that Robyn might not have come alone.

He was closer to the fire now, close enough to see that the present that his daughter had mentioned was nothing of flesh and blood, it never had been. The fear in his heart lessened to a lump of trepidation in his stomach.

Now almost upon the small fire he could almost pick out what was burning. Quickly he stamped it out with his foot as he tried to rescue the precious item mounted on a pedestal of wood from further damage but it was too late.

The photo he had treasured for so long was gone, that long lost moment was no more and it was something he'd 'ever get back.


	11. Chapter 11

Gazing out of the lofty windows of her home, Yuliya silently watched the town below. Behind her she could hear her husband's whispered protests as he attempted to stand up. Closing her eyes briefly in exasperation she wondered just how far his current mood of stubbornness would go. She had argued in vain with him, trying to get him to agree to let a Doctor examine his knee but each time he overruled her. For now she had chosen to surrender and remain silent towards him until his stormy mood broke. As patient a woman as she was and always had been she knew that there was one flaw in her plan, her patience wasn't infinite and her husband's stubbornness was just the opposite.

It was only a matter of time before one of them cracked and she hoped that she would still be alive when it happened.

Turning from the window quickly when she heard a bump and a shout from her husband, Yuliya saw him sitting on the floor, struggling to get himself back onto his bed. Shaking her head she walked over to him. Placing a gentle hand on his arm and another underneath his shoulder she helped him push himself up and once more came across resistance. It was clear her husband wanted to help himself. Sighing in frustration she released him from her hold and let him drop to the ground again. Folding her arms she stood watching him, making no move to help him again and saying nothing. Eventually he managed to sit himself back on the bed, a look of deflated triumph upon his face, he had been able to do it himself but he knew it would have been quicker if he had let his wife help him. Ignoring this fact he looked up at her and saw the expression on her face.

"Don't look at me like that, Yuliya." Nine requested trying to keep his annoyance from his tone.

"I will look at you like this and I will carry on looking at you like this until you let me get someone to look at your knee. You are so stubborn, Nine, even when you're in pain like this."

Nine shook his head, "I am not-"

"You are in pain!" Yuliya shouted throwing her hands in the air and cutting her husband off.

Yuliya paused for a moment as she allowed herself to calm down, getting angry was not the way to break through her husband's thick skull and she changed to another tactic.

"We have been married a very long time and I know when you are in pain." She began, "You can't lie to me and you shouldn't even try. I love you but I am growing tired of coming up against a brick wall whenever I try to help you and watching you hurt yourself. You're a proud man but for once will you look at what it's doing to you? All I have done for the last couple of days is watch you trying to walk on that leg, trying to put weight on your knee because you won't let yourself rest for a while and now you've made it worse. If you carry on like this and don't let someone examine it you know as well as I do that it won't get any better and eventually it may mean that you have to retire because you can't save people anymore. Choose, Nine, choose your health or your pride but do not blame me for the wrong choice."

Shaking his head again, Nine thought it over. Yuliya was right. He'd tried to convince himself that his knee would get better if he kept using and that his wife was exaggerating but the throbbing agony coming from it now told him otherwise and swayed his pride.

Yuliya needed only to look into her husband's eyes to know that he had finally relented, wasting no time and giving him no opportunity for second thoughts she called for the ladder and descended it.

Reaching the ground she was greeted by two Network operatives that asked after the health of herself and her husband, she answered that they were both well save for her husband's knee and asked them if there was a medic among their number.

"I'm afraid not, Miss, the only one we have with us is asleep. He was on patrol last night." One of the operatives replied, "There are other doctors in town though if you don't want to wait for him, there's one in the Mayor's house and there's one just leaving the police station over there. You might want to speak to the other doctor though, I don't think this one could make the climb up to the airship. I can call that one over for you if you like, see what he says."

"I don't think you'll need to," The second operative replied, "I think we've been spotted."

True enough, Doctor Cole was indeed walking towards the trio. He'd spotted them watching him as he left the police station, not knowing what they wanted he'd decided to investigate. Coming upon the small group he looked upon one of the members and his question of what they could want with him was answered almost immediately answered.

"How is your husband doing?" The Doctor asked of Yuliya, he'd heard of the incident involving Nine and Larry.

"He's well apart from his knee, he's only just allowed me to find a doctor for him to examine it." Yuliya replied.

Doctor Cole raised an eyebrow, "Let me guess, the father is more stubborn than the son. Where is he at the moment?"

"He's in the airship. He managed to pull himself up after Larry kicked him but since then he hasn't been able to come back down and he's finding walking difficult to say the least. Do you think you'd be able to see him?"

Rubbing the back of his head with his hand sheepishly, Doctor Cole shook it. Heights had never been to his liking and as much as he disliked to admit it his current state of mobility forbade him from activities that were too physically strenuous. Even stair climbing wasn't as easy as it had once been since his accident and he knew that sooner or later he would have to surrender to his age and the harrowing truth that he could no longer manage to continue in the ways that he had done before.

Smiling apologetically to Yuliya, Doctor Cole shook his head. "A few years ago I might have said yes but unfortunately I don't think I'd make it up there let alone back down. There is, however, a colleague of mine that could certainly do it."

Seated in the Mayor's kitchen, Doctor Malone sparingly spooned some sugar into his tea. He had never been a man to enjoy cocoa in great quantities, in winter he sometimes drank it to warm his blood but in other instances he avoided it.

Those around him observed his silent mood and he was glad of the peace he had been offered. He'd needed some time to collect his thoughts and arrange them into words he could use to explain what had happened, to answer the questions of his expectant friends. Already he had had to answer the questions of the police as they made a report on what happened and made ready to conduct an enquiry into how someone had been able to walk in and commit a murder under their very noses.

Looking around him before he spoke the doctor could see Trixie staring daggers at Stingy, he'd heard an altercation between the two before he'd knocked on the door, their words had been unclear but they'd been full of anger. Something told him that the argument had about the one person he'd been questioned about, the one and only suspect in the murder of Larry. There was an atmosphere lingering in the air still but he tried to ignore it as best he could and chose to be cautious when speaking of Kit. It was a subject sensitive to all, something that had already caused discord between close friends and disrupted the tenuous calm of a close knit society.

Morgan's eyes were upon her as soon as she entered the room. He was observing her silently, his cool vision remaining on her as she crossed the floor. Reaching the chair opposite the one her brother was seated in Robyn sat down. It was a chair she had sat in once before, a chair that she had been warned never to sit in again.

And for a good reason.

A stabbing pain jolted through her body stealing whatever breath there was in her lungs. Her abdomen throbbed with searing agony. An angry tide of crimson was pouring from a wound in her stomach. Its deadly warmth seeped its way through her clothes but the fabric did little to stop its procession from her body. Beyond her darkening vision she could see the telephone, desperation began to take hold but she had not the strength to reach for it, it was too far away and her strength was ebbing away with her blood. Slipping ever faster into darkness with every lingering drop of her blood leaving her body she began to give herself up to her fate.

Just inches from the abyss of eternity she was pulled back.

She was lying on the floor. Her brother was knelt by her side looking over her. In his cool eyes there was genuine concern and something she had never expected to see within them, fear. When she felt she was able to do so, Robyn sat up. Looking into her brother's eyes again she could see the fear slowly being replaced with confusion.

"What happened to you?" Morgan asked the concern in his eyes belying the tone of his voice.

Robyn shook her head, "It's hard to explain but it won't happen again. I'll be fine in a few minutes."

"Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Can I have a glass of water, please?"

There was something about what Robyn said that made Morgan smile slightly. He was tempted to comment on it but changed his mind and stood up. Looking at Robyn once more before leaving the room to make sure she was ok he walked away.

After Morgan left the room, Robyn stood also. Almost as soon as she had stood up someone grabbed her, forcing both of her hands behind her back and holding her head firmly at her chin. She tried to release herself from their grasp but their hold on her was too strong. The grip on her hands and chin tightened as the figure roughly pulled her closer to them.

"I'm not done with you yet, Girlie." Sounded a harsh whisper in her ear.


	12. Chapter 12

His hand snaked its way over her mouth, muting all sound that was trying to spill from it. Icy death lingered in those fingers. The bloody fingernails scraped her cheek as his palm moved to form a tighter vacuum upon her lips. Her hands were still held firmly behind her and within those hands she trembled. His was a presence that she had felt before, a presence that had been strong within the house and was here again now, albeit in a different place but by no means less threatening. It was not his presence that frightened her now, since she had last encountered him he had changed.

He was alive.

"Did you miss me, Robyn? It's been a little while hasn't it? I know you came to see me in the basement, it was very kind of you but not as kind as what you did for me just now. That little head of yours must be working up a storm trying to work out how this all happened, I'm quite surprised your friend Detective Miller didn't tell you about this little angle to your abilities and it looks like I'm going to have to fill you in. Before we start do you have any questions?"

Robyn felt the grip on her mouth released sufficiently for her to talk but the hand remained, ready to silence her at any moment.

"What do you want from me?" Robyn whispered knowing well what danger would come from alerting her brother to the intruder's presence.

"That's a good question and one I don't want to answer," A crackling laugh echoed from the throat of him that held her, "But let me continue with what I was saying. I'm sure you know about traces, those little echoes of what have happened to people so I won't go into that but I'm sure that what you don't know is just how dangerous they can be and the fact that they can bring on your own death. It's a little scary to think that by experiencing the death of another that you can in turn meet your own but there is a better part to it. Through you those that have died can return, using you as a stepping stone to escape the realms of death but only those that kill you can return fully."

"But I'm still alive," Robyn replied knowing that this statement did not alter the fact.

"Even though you are still alive, you were close enough to death to allow me to pass through and now Doctor Dominic Trent is back and I fully intend to stay that way."

Out of the corner of his eye, Doctor Trent saw a shadow pass across the doorway and he turned around. His cracked white lips curved into a smile at the sight of the person he had been hoping to meet once more.

"And welcome back, Dominic. It's so good to see you again and looking somewhat healthier than you did the last time." Lily purred, her lips answering the smile.

"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine." Dominic replied in his old smooth tones.

Boris edged uncomfortably around the furniture in the room and tried the best he could to avoid the walls. His expression held a constant grimace displaying his discomfort with his surroundings and an enduring curiosity of how his companion could stand to touch anything much less look so comfortable in the knowledge of what their surroundings were made from.

Everything his eyes fell upon in the Town had made him cringe with disgust and yet Kit seemed perfectly at home in a place that he couldn't deny was unique in the building materials used.

"Chill out, Boris we're going to be here for a few more days yet and you're going to have touch something at some point." Kit said trying to reassure his new found friend.

Boris shook his head. "I don't know how you can say that. They're teeth. Everything is made of teeth. It's disgusting."

"It's ToothTown. Why did you think it was called that? Besides, it's not that bad when you get used to it. I was here for about two months before I ended up in Lazytown."

"I'm not going to stay here that long, that's for sure." Boris scoffed hoping that it wouldn't take that long to resolve the problem of his next move.

Walking over to a small table on the other side of the room he poured some hot water into a cup from the kettle provided and added a tea bag and milk to the mix. Picking up the cup he took a long draft of the beverage ignoring the stinging hotness upon his lips. He only lowered the cup when he heard Kit laughing behind him.

Looking at Kit through the mirror in front of him, Boris asked, "Whatever is the matter with you now?"

"I don't think I should say." Kit replied sobering slightly.

"Go on, please."

"Well you know you don't like how the stuff here is made of teeth? I was just wondering if you know what that cup you've got in your hand is made of."

A look of sheer horror descended upon Boris' face as the terrible realisation dawned. Throwing the still partially full cup into the air as if it had stung him he had to act quickly to dodge the hot liquid as it spilled from the cup as it turned in the air from the force of the throw. He was able to avoid most of it but his efforts were not enough to spare some of it raining down upon him, burning his uncovered hands and the back of his neck.

Using his training to try to control the searing pain he felt boiling those areas of his skin that had been touched by the liquid, he gritted his teeth and tried to concentrate on a way to douse the areas he had been scolded.

Seeing what had happened, Kit pushed himself out of the chair he had been seated in and despite the handcuffs still being upon his wrists he managed to open the bathroom door. Foregoing the necessity of turning on the light he fumbled in the bathroom in his search for the sink. One of his legs found its base as he kicked in the dark trying to find it, after a quickly muttered expletive he got to work trying to turn on the taps.

The darkness in the room was quickly engulfed by light as Boris flicked the light switch and entered the room. Pushing gently by Kit he turned on the cold tap and ran it until the water was as cool as possible. Pushing his hands under the water he frowned against the stinging and forced himself to keep his hands beneath the healing water. As he watched them he saw a towel being pushed into the sink, covering his hands as it was wetted under the flow of water. A pair of handcuffed hands lifted the towel back out and seconds after it had faded out of his line of sight he felt it being pressed gently upon his neck. Its coolness soothed him briefly before the angry red trail of scolded flesh began to sting.

Eventually the stinging in his hands passed and he removed them from the water. Turning the tap off he looked upon them briefly and could see that no lasting damage was present.

"Thanks." Boris said at last turning his head to look at Kit.

Kit shook his head, "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault you weren't taught to duck properly."

A sarcastic smile twisted Boris' mouth, "Very funny." He sneered softly before continuing, "I think it's about time we stopped looking like a married couple on a honeymoon and more like the prisoner and captor we're supposed to be being."

"What do you suggest we do then?"

Walking out of the bathroom and gingerly sitting on the bed, Boris unzipped his jacket, and from a pocket within the garment, pulled out a small black box. He looked over at Kit who was standing in the doorway in the bathroom and motioned for him to come over.

"I thought you said we weren't going to act like a couple on a honeymoon. And if you've got in mind what I think you have I have to say you're really not my type." Kit smiled apologetically.

Covering his face with his hands for a moment and trying to keep himself from laughing, Boris shook his head. "To be honest you're not my type either and we aren't going to start acting like a couple on a honeymoon, I need to question you on what happened in that cell."

It was Kit's turn to laugh as he realised he'd gotten the completely wrong idea. Leaving the bathroom he walked over to the bed and sat beside Boris.

"And you're absolutely sure that you're not interested in me in '_that_' way," Kit asked with a smile firmly fixed upon his face.

"Why would I want to deprive Robyn of someone like you?" Boris countered, "You're safe with me and I promise that I am in no way interested in you in that way but if you keep thinking along those lines I'm going to have to get some soap to clean up that dirty mind of yours. You hear me?"

"Oh yeah I hear you. So why are you going to question me?"

"Because I need to be able to provide evidence supporting this little rouse we've set up. If it looks like I'm not doing what I'm supposed to do someone will get suspicious and it could mean that we're found out."

Kit nodded to show he understood and Boris set to work setting up the little black box to record what he and his captive said knowing full well that just outside the building someone would be listening and recording their own version of what was said.

Morgan returned from the kitchen to see an intruder in his home and his sister being held firmly against her will. Without issuing a warning to the intruder he pulled his knife from its home and swiftly moved to attack as he pushed into the room, neglecting to notice his mother leaning against the wall as he passed through the door. Still failing to notice his mother's presence he found himself grasped roughly by the shoulders. Before he had a chance to struggle he found himself hurtled against the wall, his head impacting with it before he slumped to the ground. Lily rubbed her hands as she viewed him on the ground and cursed him for being stupid in not looking for any possible enemies in the room other than the one he had seen.

Startled by Lily's ferocious attack on Morgan, Robyn tore herself from Dominic's grip so violently that she lost her balance and fell to the ground. The Doctor was ill prepared for this movement but recovered his senses and sprang after her but he could never have known what would happen next.

Sensing the intention of the man behind her and knowing that Dominic would do anything to harm her, Robyn quickly seized the hilt of Morgan's knife. With almost feline like grace she pushed herself up onto her knees and swung the top part of her body round.

In an action without thought, driven totally by instinct, she brought the knife around with her body; its point angled high, and heard the sickening sound of metal meeting bone. Her eyes opened wide as her senses returned and the realisation of what had happened stood grimly before her.

Dominic stood frozen, his body tilted in mid fall, suspended by the long blade that had slid so easily into his mouth and through the back of his neck as his weight acted against him.

As still as the man whose life she had just taken, Robyn watched as thick, hot blood oozed onto her hand. Behind her, her mother stood surveying the ghastly picture briefly before walking from the room, a smile upon her face.

Her plan was working much better than she could ever have hoped.


	13. Chapter 13

Stay or go?

Fight or fly?

Find her or abandon her?

Live or die?

His head rested in his hands, his back against the wall, he tried to calm the whirring thoughts drilling their way deep into his mind. The more he tried to stop them the more the questions came, questions that wanted answers.

If he stayed within his sanctuary he would be safe as long as his daughter didn't reveal his whereabouts to those that wished him harm. To leave would be to go back to the place he had left behind, his home, a place that would shun him because of his deeds in the past.

Going back to his home would be to rejoin the fight against Lily and her evil but it was a fight he could avoid if he ran away. There were so many places he could go. If he left he could live but if he fought he could die. His sister was too strong and he was still weak, too weak to last long in another battle.

But he had to find his daughter.

He couldn't abandon her. To abandon her would prove Robbie right. To abandon her would put to an end all hope of ever returning to his home. No matter what he had done the town was still his home. His airship was gone but the town below was as much his home as his floating sanctuary had been.

He may have lost his home and his reputation, the respect of his family and friends, the love of his daughter and their precious years together in ashes but there was one thing he would never lose, one thing that they could never take from him –

His love for Robyn.

It was his love for her that set courage in his heart, courage that would help him fight for her if needs be and take her home. Whether he was welcome there or not it didn't matter, if she wanted him to come back and stay he would, if she didn't he would face it and move on.

But he couldn't find Robyn on his own.

Lily wasn't the only problem that faced him in retrieving Robyn. There was every chance that Morgan would be close by as well, charged with the duty of guarding his sister should any intruders enter their hiding place.

There was one other possibility that he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge and that was the chance that Robyn may not want to be taken back. It seemed that Lily had already done something to their daughter and whatever dark designs she appeared to have for Robyn were already well set in motion.

Anger wrestled with doubt at the thought that Robyn would refuse to come with him and fight against him. He knew her strength; pushed to her limits she could match him, now even more so as her body had recovered from its partial paralysis. Pushed beyond her limits he knew she was capable of beating him, the strength with which she had struck him before told him that.

Another thing hung heavy on his heart and that was the knowledge that he had always held deep within and had never wanted to acknowledge, like her mother and like him she was capable of taking lives. He himself had never killed anyone, unlike his sister, but he had once almost killed her. The feel of his hands around her throat still haunted him as did the searing anger that had torn its way through him and led him down that dark path from which he knew he would never have been able to return from.

It was his deepest fear that Lily would in some way make Robyn kill someone and with the first taste of that blood lust her soul would never be redeemed. With the taking of one life he knew that there was every possibility that a time would come when she took another.

He had to find her before it happened but something inside him knew he was already too late. He would have to go to her and see what there was left to save.

Their recording session was over; Boris had proof now that he had stuck with procedure. He hoped the evidence was convincing enough to keep up the charade he had manufactured. If everything fell to pieces he was sure he wouldn't find a way out of it and would feel the lash of Elias' revenge. Kit had been framed by him but it wouldn't stop Elias passing the buck of guilt to someone else, the only other person that had been in that cell with Larry.

Looking out of the window, down into the street below, he saw the lid on one of the dumpsters move.

'That's where they've been hiding,' he thought.

It was an original hiding place and a good cover. No one would guess it was anything but a dumpster on the inside, at least not while the Network had their hands on it.

The lid moved again, this time more violently. Someone inside was trying to get out. He decided to go down to the alley and investigate, something was going on and he couldn't ignore it. They wouldn't risk blowing their cover without good reason.

Leaving Kit in the shower, Boris opened the window opting for the quickest way to get to his destination. Sitting on the window ledge he swung his legs over the edge and pushed himself off. Landing with a parachute roll he was soon on his feet and walked slowly towards the dumpster.

When he reached it he placed his hands on the handles on top of the lid and threw it up revealing two very surprised and sheepish looking operatives surrounded by communications equipment and supplies.

"We were going to come and find you," One of the operatives said, "But it seems you found us first."

"I've been in this job long enough to know that dumpster lids don't move on their own and I thought I'd come and check it out," Boris replied with a smile.

The second operative nodded, "Indeed but it doesn't matter who found who first. Something has happened in Lazy town that you need to know about."

"Like what?" Boris asked measuring the seriousness on the second operative's face.

"A code three. You're ordered to proceed straight back to Lazy town immediately."

Shaking his head Boris could only say one word, "Shit."

Things had just taken a very bad turn.


	14. Chapter 14

He was more nervous now than he had been in the days past. Something had really shaken Boris, something that he wouldn't talk about and had made the man practically drag him back to the Land Rover. The atmosphere in the vehicle was tense and Boris' driving seemed almost erratic in the way he kept looking all around him and sped down the dusty road back towards Lazytown. Every now and then Kit spared a glance out of the back window waiting to see a set of blue flashing lights and to hear the wailing sound of a siren as Boris continued to break the speed limit. Fearing for his safety and that of his driver, Kit had asked him to slow down or stop so he could find another way to work out whatever it was that was frustrating him. His pleas fell continuously on deaf ears and he hoped he wouldn't have to take action into his own hands.

Desperately hoping that Boris would hear him this time, Kit tried again. "Boris what is the matter?"

Without warning Boris slammed his foot on the brake, something he had done on the way to Tooth town. Grateful of his seat belt, Kit pushed himself back into his seat and turned to look at an equally shaken Boris.

"You should really warn me before you do that," Kit admonished with a mixed tone.

Boris looked at Kit with a surprised expression upon his face, "Sorry. I didn't think."

"Thinking doesn't seem to be something you Network people do a lot of most of the time."

"Not unless we have something to think about and at this point in time I have something very big to think about, a code three."

Kit frowned slightly, "What's a code three when it's at home?"

"A code three is a state of alert when a member of the Network is assaulted."

"What does that have to do with us going back to Lazy town?"

"Apparently Elias was found somewhere between the Crazy town tunnel and the top end of Lazy town by one of the patrols. He was a real mess, someone had beaten him up really badly and he said you did it."

Shock marred Kit's features as the news sunk in, "You're not serious."

"I am. He says that he saw you kill Larry and tried to stop you but you beat him up for his trouble. He said that he only managed to get away because he got a lucky punch in that knocked you out long enough for him to get away. I've been ordered to bring you back to Lazy town to face questioning. I just hope that we can find some way out of this but it looks like Elias has already banged the last nail into your coffin."

Having broken the news to his companion, Boris paused, waiting for Kit's reaction. He wasn't surprised when Kit paled further as it hit him how serious things had just gotten.

Morgan held his knife, point to the floor, and spun it round as if he were spinning a coin. Every so often he took his eyes from his mindless occupation to glance over at Robyn who was sat at the opposite end of the table from him. Each time he looked at her it seemed as if she hadn't moved at all, only the rise and fall of her chest told him that she was real and not a statue placed in the chair to tease him.

As time went on he was starting to worry, he had to do something but he didn't know what.

"If you stay like that much longer you'll start to grow moss," Morgan said suddenly taking a shot in the dark.

Robyn looked up, her eyes fixing themselves onto Morgan's. They slowly seemed to focus upon his features as they wakened from their slumber. He studied her steady gaze, looking for any kind of consciousness but seemed to find nothing but a senseless void.

Lifting his knife from the floor, Morgan placed it on the table and stood. Leaving his precious weapon where it lay he walked around the table towards his sister. To some relief he noticed her eyes following him as he moved closer to her. Coming to a stop beside her he crouched down, sitting on his haunches and cupped her chin in his hand. He fixed his eyes on her and made sure hers were locked onto his. Awareness slowly seemed to be returning to the light blue depths and he decided this was the time to try to pull her from herself.

"I felt the same way when I made my first kill," Morgan said softly, "It will pass in time but you can't let it consume you. Push it out of your mind and forget about it."

Robyn shook her head and looked away from her brother, "I can't. Its there and it won't go away. I don't know what to do. I can't forget what I did, I can't push away the feeling I got when his blood seeped onto my hand and I think I enjoyed it. Please help me, Morgan."

This last comment took Morgan completely aback. He'd thought his sister's silence had been down to guilt until now, how much more wrong could he have been?

Over the last weeks he had watched his sister slowly turning from an innocent to something resembling his mother and he had to stop it.

Standing up he grabbed Robyn's arm, "You're coming with me. I'm getting you out of here. You can't stay here any longer, whatever Lily has planned for you is starting to work and I don't want to see those plans come into fruition any more than they have already."

Robyn tried to pull her arm from Morgan's grip, "Plans? What plans?"

"I don't know exactly but they're not good. She set up that Doctor for you to kill to see how you'd react and she's been in league with Elias. The only reason you got out of town that time was because he let you through. That's not all he's been up to with her; he's been trying to bring down your fiancé. He accused Kit of killing Larry when in actual fact it was him that did it. If he gets away with this Kit could be imprisoned and even executed for a crime he didn't commit."

Shock flooded Robyn's senses as Morgan's words dug deep. Her mother had been lying to her and worse still had been conspiring with someone to harm Kit. She had to stop Elias before he removed the one thing that could keep her from fully crossing over to Lily's way of life.

Allowing Morgan to help her up she looked to the kitchen door as if expecting Lily to be standing there.

"It's ok, she's upstairs sleeping. If we're quick we can get away without her knowing and be half way there before she works it out. We'll have to be careful, if she finds out I've told you and have taken you away she can get any number of supporters she has in this area to hunt us down."

"And if they find us they'll bring us back and she'll kill us," Robyn continued on from where Morgan had left off.

Morgan nodded. Grabbing Robyn's hand he pulled her towards the back door of the house and swiftly unlocked it. Opening the door he let her through first before joining her. Once he had passed through the door he closed it as silently as he could and taking Robyn's hand once more, ran with her away from the house and back to her proper home.

All the while they were running he tried not to think of what would happen to him when he came back.


	15. Chapter 15

Her eyes blinked open for a moment, her ears registering a faint sound in the room below, too insignificant to fully register in her twisted brain. Pursued by silence the sound once more flickered into her consciousness hoping to spur action from her. Its repetition worked and the eyes opened fully this time, instantly focussing to show her the room around her. Movement brought life to her muscles as she pushed herself from the bed and stood up. With razor sharp instincts she surveyed her surroundings, looking, listening, and waiting for something that would confirm her suspicions, more silence.

Twisting her features into a mask of rage she ran to the door and flung it open before flying downstairs into the hallway. Looking in one direction and then another she ran down one end of the corridor, throwing open the doors of every room as she passed them. With no signs of life in that part of the house she ran to the other side, her anger growing at every empty void that stared back at her when she flung back the doors.

Stalking her territory like a predator she pushed herself quickly towards the door to the basement. She ripped it open and hastily turning on the light, descended down into the room below.

A second's glance around the room confirmed to Lily what she knew already.

The house was empty.

"MOOOOORRRRRRRRRRGAAAAAAANNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed as every last drop of rationality was evaporated in the fire of her anger.

He had betrayed her, her own son and it would be the last thing he ever did if she laid her eyes upon him ever again.

Nearly exhausted from running and the fear that they were being followed, Morgan and Robyn stopped a moment beneath the shade of a tree. They weren't far from the CrazyTown tunnel, it was a mere five minutes walk away at a good pace and they could already see its gigantic opening carved into the mountains. It was fortunate that there had been a walkway built along both sides of the tunnel to allow those on foot to pass through without them having to face the treacherous nature of the mountain pass.

Too many people had fallen prey to it in the past, even after seventeen years Robyn could still remember her journey across that barren world that had posed a formidable barrier between the towns before the tunnel had been built. She only wished that the walkway had been there the day that she had narrowly escaped spending the rest of her life in Mr Snail's orphanage.

The sudden return of that dreaded memory made her shudder as a wave of pain washed over her.

"Are you ok?" Morgan's voice broke into her reverie.

Looking at her brother, Robyn forced a smile and nodded. "I'm just a little cold."

Robyn's untruth didn't escape Morgan. He knew it was something other than her feeling cold that had made her shudder but all the same he thought he would play along and see if there was perhaps a chance that he might get her to open up to him.

"Here, take my jacket," Morgan began as he started to remove the garment, "It'll keep you warm."

There was no opportunity for to decline the offer as the jacket was placed in her hands. It was heavier than she had anticipated, much too heavy in her mind to be worn this time of year. Autumn after all had just barely begun to touch the leaves as summer still held sway in the air around them.

Shaking herself from her musings she looked at Morgan. He stood patiently but yet there was something making him distinctly uncomfortable. A quiet longing seemed to glow in his eyes which she couldn't pin-point the cause of. She thought perhaps it was his fear that Lily would find out what he had done and was after them, a fear she shared but it didn't seem to fit with the emotions slowly showing on his chiselled features. He looked nervous, almost jumpy when anything moved close by but it was a nervousness not connected to the fear of pursuit. Running through what could be making him feel this way it was then that it struck her.

He hated being outside.

Was it not for the fact that their current position was dangerously open she would have tried to coax from him the reasons for his fear but it was high time already that they resumed their journey and there was still a long way to go.

Even when they made it through the tunnel there was no guarantee even then that they would be safe, any patrols the Network had set up would attempt to capture Morgan, an action that would result in them losing their lives. She had come to accept that for what little she knew of her twin she knew that she would never be able to change him even though he somehow seemed willing to change himself.

Smiling reassuringly at her brother, Robyn started walking towards the tunnel. After a few steps she realised that Morgan wasn't following her. Looking back she could see that his eyes were fixed on a point to the right of her, something that had gripped his attention so violently that he seemed to have stopped breathing. Following his gaze she saw what had affected him and wondered what they would do now.

Standing next to car that had pulled over to the side of the road was their father. Meeting Robyn's gaze he waved, his unshaven features portraying a silent hope that she would come to him. Looking to her brother she saw him looking at her, waiting for her to decide what to do.

Sighing deeply Robyn resigned herself to the fact that her father was their quickest way home. Their time was running out and if they didn't move soon there was every chance that they'd be too late to save Kit. Raising her eyes to meet Sportacus' persistent watch upon her she nodded. Morgan seemed to agree with her as he started walking to the car, an action that seemed to startle their father momentarily. He seemed to recover from his surprise quickly but as both siblings sat in the car there was an air of uncertainty about him.

Getting into the car himself, Sportacus couldn't help but notice that neither of his children had elected to sit in the passenger seat of the car. Looking in the rear view mirror at Robyn he could see that she looked as well as she had done when last he saw her but there was an invisible barrier between them that he knew he would never be able to break down. His actions had separated him from his daughter and the longing ache he had in his heart was his punishment.

Looking beyond his children to what lay beyond them he started the engine. Double checking all of the mirrors he pulled away from the side of the road and headed towards the tunnel. Every now and then he spared a look at his passengers. They sat silently, each looking out of their own window as the world rolled by until it was engulfed by darkness when they entered the tunnel.

A temptation to break the silence tugged at Sportacus as they wound their way through the tunnel but he didn't know what to say. What could a man say to an estranged daughter and a son he knew almost nothing about? There seemed to be so much to talk about but they were all trivial things, nothing that would prompt a response from either of them should they choose not to answer or if they did it was likely that it was a conversation that would last only for a short while and do nothing to quell his need for Robyn to speak to him.

Ten minutes of darkness passed before they exited the tunnel and arrived on the other side. Light once more flooded the car but it was a light that was starting to dwindle in the lateness of the afternoon. Having left the tunnel, Sportacus picked up speed a little. As they drew near to the lake something made him look in the rear view mirror at Robyn.

Something was wrong.

Robyn's eyes were no longer fixed on the window at her side but at him or more what was beyond him. The expression upon her face was one he had seen before and he knew what was happening.

She could see it laying there, the blood on it seeping into the cloth that was wrapped round it. She reached out with her hands and brushed aside the Earth that was covering it. Picking it up she removed the cloth, the cold texture of what lay in her hands chilling her to the bone.

"Stop the car!" Robyn suddenly shouted.

Not knowing what else to do, Sportacus obeyed. In an instant Robyn was out of the car, her movements faster than he had seen them in months. Looking to his son both men shared a momentary expression of puzzlement before exiting the car also.

Morgan was quickly on the heels of his sister and his father was almost as quickly upon him. They soon caught up with her and all three vanished into the woods.

Robyn's pace slowed as she found the place she had seen in her mind just seconds before. It didn't take long for her to find the patch of disturbed Earth and she bent down beside it. With tentative fingers she began to push it aside, her father and brother watching her actions from behind. She could sense their confusion as she pushed back more of the soil.

Eventually her fingers touched upon the cloth she had been waiting to feel. Wrapping her hand around it she pulled it from the ground. Her fingers trembled as she slowly unwrapped the cloth from the object. When it was fully uncovered Sportacus inhaled with surprise as Morgan looked on when both men saw what Robyn had found.

Their arrival back in town came all too soon for both of them but more so for Kit. As Boris drove deeper into town he could see the eyes of those operatives in town upon him, judging him. Some turned to their partners as he passed and seemed to whisper something to each other while others shook their heads.

Boris pulled up outside the Town Hall which still had traces of scaffolding in front of it, supporting the pillar that Ché had damaged in his fight with Lily. Just below the pillars, in the shadow of the Town Hall, Boris could see the few residents of the town watching them. Looking at Kit he got out of the vehicle and walked round to the passenger side to let his charge out.

Almost as soon as Kit's feet had touched the ground he found himself surrounded by operatives. Three of them held him in a vice like grip, two at either side of him and one behind. The others stood close, blocking any passage of escape he might try to exploit if he shook off the grip of those that held him. Studying those in front of him he noticed that these men were in a uniform different to Boris'. Instead of plain black all over they had thin bands of red running from shoulder to shoulder. They looked less happy to see him than the other members of the Network in town. Looking at Boris, Kit could see that he wasn't happy to see the men.

"What the hell is Red Team doing here? This matter has nothing to do with you!" Boris exclaimed angrily his tone demanding answers from the men surrounding Kit.

Most of the men in the group turned to face Boris but only one of them spoke, "It is when someone as high up as Elias is assaulted and the team beneath him lose control of the situation. We're taking over down here. Two of the people in this town have escaped your cordons and neither has been found, you're incompetence caused you to find someone murdered nearby and those two people that escaped could also be dead. So far none of your men have found either of them or Lily so in this case I think our presence here is necessary and you're ordered to withdraw you and your men immediately. You're not needed here anymore."

Boris' face reddened with anger, "You can't just force us out like this! My team was assigned here for the protection of this town and the people in-"

"You have failed in your assignment," The Red Team member interrupted quickly, "And we can force you out if you do not choose to leave yourselves. Your orders are to return to base for reassignment but from what I've seen of what's happened here I doubt you'll be reassigned to anything more skilled than cleaning toilets."

This last comment pushed Boris over the edge and he swung a fist at the man that had insulted him and his team but was stopped when a voice rang out from somewhere in the surge of uniforms.

"That's enough, Boris!" It shouted.

Looking through the crowd ahead of him he saw Elias. Slowly the crowd seemed to part as Elias made his way towards his subordinate and in a few minutes the men were stood facing each other.

No amount of explanation could have prepared Boris for the state that his superior was in. Upon Elias' face there seemed not to be a patch of skin that was not bruised. His cheeks were swollen and his nose had evidently been broken. Bandages were wrapped around both of his hands, supporting the damaged articles. Looking at his leader and the pain he could see barely concealed in the man's eyes Boris wondered if the injuries were really the kind that one man could inflict on another.

Elias grew tired of Boris' studying of his features and he turned to Kit who seemed equally surprised at his appearance. Pushing aside some of the men that surrounded the stricken clown he leant in close to one of Kit's ears.

"You'll hang for this," He whispered and then turning away from Kit he said louder, "Get him out of my sight. Thanks to Boris we have enough evidence to convict him and his trial should be quick. After that he'll get the punishment he deserves."


	16. Chapter 16

At Elias' order the Red Team men started to practically carry Kit away to one of their own vehicles parked nearby. There was little Kit could do to struggle against them and he could see his friends and loved ones being held back by more of the men. They were shouting for the men to let them go, for Boris to stop them and for the men to spare Kit but their cries were unheeded. In the chaos and confusion another voice was quashed. It cried out but no one heard it.

That was until a shoe hit the ring leader of the Red Team in the head.

"Who threw that?" He demanded his shout cutting through the rest of the voices.

"I did." A voice replied, its words causing silence in the crowd.

Everyone looked to where it had come from. Their jaws slackened with wonderment as they saw the owner, even those in Red Team could barely contain their surprise.

It was Robyn.

They watched as she walked towards the crowd of Red Team operatives, her eyes fixed on the man she had addressed. They only left him when she bent down to pick up and replace her shoe. When she had done this her eyes returned to him and he could feel the confidence radiating off of them.

Looking at Kit briefly and the predicament her fiancé was in; Robyn looked back to the leader. "Let him go."

"I can't do that," The leader stated his tone as cool as Robyn's had been, "He's been accused and found guilty of the murder of Larry Delaney and the assault on Elias."

"Elias killed Larry."

This statement caused a shockwave through the occupants of the town but it was soon thrown into disbelief when Elias spoke up, his voice as calm as that of an innocent man.

"That's rubbish! What proof could you possibly have?" Elias challenged, not believing for a moment that she could have any but the raving of her lunatic mother or her homicidal brother, neither of which would be sources that could cast any doubt on his testimony of events.

Robyn smiled slightly as from the inside pocket of Morgan's coat she pulled the cloth covered item.

"I have this," She purred as she handed it to the Leader.

Looking at Robyn and then at what had been placed in his hand, the Leader slowly began to unwrap it. He didn't fail to notice the blood stains on the cloth and the coldness of what was within it the closer he got to the centre. Pulling back the last reel of fabric his eyes befell a sight he hadn't expected to see. Taking care not to drop the cloth on the ground he studied the metal object, he recognised it instantly as a weapon issued as standard to all Network officers and this one was covered in blood.

"I think you'll find that the blood on it is Larry's and that it's Elias' weapon." Robyn said, looking at Elias.

"That's ridiculous. It was obviously planted wherever you found it. It has nothing to do with me. That isn't mine." Elias objected, hoping that he could silence her.

Robyn raised an eyebrow, "Really? Then where is yours, Elias? You seem to be the only one here that doesn't have one and correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't everything issued to you have your serial number printed on it?"

Panic swept over Elias when he realised she was right. His panic catalysed an indomitable anger within him and he quaked with it.

"BITCH!" Elias yelled and threw himself at Robyn with a force and speed that belied his injuries.

Before anyone could stop him he grabbed her by the throat and swung her round so her back rested against him, immobilising her. At the same time his other hand reached into one of his pockets and he pulled out a gun which he placed at her temple.

"If anybody moves, if anybody makes one mistake I'll blow her pretty little brains out." Elias shouted. "Now I'm going to get into one of the Land Rovers and drive away from here. Don't anyone try to stop me or follow me because if you do she will be dead. Do you understand me?!"

When no one shook their heads or answered in the negative, Elias dragged Robyn away harshly. Though she tried to struggle she was no match for him with the way he held her and she was powerless to stop him.

Never turning his back on his men for second, Elias continued to pull Robyn further away from the centre of Town. There was one Land Rover he knew had been left unlocked and it wouldn't take him long to get to it, once he was in it and away he could kill the girl anyway and deliver her body to her mother. That would serve as an adequate warning to Lily that he was not as easily pushed aside as she had thought.

As soon as Elias was out of ear shot Boris pulled a radio from his pocket, "No stars shine in a cloudy sky, no lightning strikes in the sun." He said rapidly into it.

Kit pushed away the men that had loosened their grip on him and walked briskly over to Boris, "What the hell does that mean?"

"If you're going to get close to Elias don't be seen and don't be a hero." Boris replied.

"You can't just let him take her!" Kit shouted, "He's going to kill her!"

"I know, that's why I'm going to be a hero."

Before Kit could ask his friend to elaborate, Boris took off. Kit quickly ran after him as they headed for Elias. It wasn't long before Elias noticed what was going on and he halted his progress towards his getaway vehicle. His attention was so fixed on the two men running towards him that he didn't hear what was coming towards him.

The blade whistled as it sliced effortlessly through the air, flying towards its target. It gathered speed as it spun faster and faster, its progress silent to the ears of its intended victim. When Elias did finally hear it, it was too late.

Everyone watched in horror as the blade cleaved through Elias' neck, severing his head from his shoulders. In its deadly wake blood spewed from the ghastly wound but Robyn was not left unharmed. She let out a cry of pain as the blade struck her and both decapitated and wounded fell to the ground.

Boris skidded to a halt as the thudding rolling head stopped at his feet, the face a permanent picture of disbelief. He looked at it and then beyond it to the one that had done the deed.

Morgan.

Kit continued running. He wanted to get Robyn; he wanted her to be alright. He'd seen the blade strike her but he couldn't let himself fear the worst.

He reached the fallen pair. Robyn was partially beneath Elias and he pushed the still twitching corpse off of her. She was covered in blood but he couldn't tell how much of it was hers or otherwise. Kneeling down he placed his cheek above her mouth and relief filled him when he felt her breath upon it.

She was alive.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he ran a hand over her cheek. She stirred beneath his touch and opened her eyes. They too a few seconds to focus but when they did he could see tears in them.

"Kit." She whispered.

Kit smiled, "Yeah, Princess. I'm here."

Having satisfied himself that Robyn was ok, Boris turned his attention to his men. At Morgan's arrival most of them had started moving towards him when Elias fell and now they were dangerously close. Thinking quickly he made a decision but as risky as it was, it was the right one.

"Leave him!" He ordered.

These two words stopped the men in their tracks. It was something they hadn't expected to hear and they looked at him with sheer confusion.

"Enough people have died here today. If you want to disobey me and have him kill you as well then please by all means go ahead but you'll have achieved nothing. There'll be other days when we can make him face justice for his crimes."

No one disagreed. No one disobeyed.


End file.
